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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27105847">Dark Moon</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllaBurnella/pseuds/EllaBurnella'>EllaBurnella</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dark Reylo Series [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Wolfman (2010)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - 1800s, Alternate Universe - Horror, Animal Transformation, Arranged Marriage, Awkward Rey, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Curses, Dark Fairytale, Dark Fantasy, Dark Magic, F/M, Falling In Love, Forests, Gothic Romance, Horror, Mental Institutions, Protective Rey (Star Wars), Shy Ben Solo, Torture, Violence, Werewolves, courting, some smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:11:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>56,468</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27105847</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllaBurnella/pseuds/EllaBurnella</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey Palpatine is off to Alderaan, finally prepared to go through with the marriage her parents had planned for her years ago. A marriage to the wealthy Lord Solo, the only heir to his entire family fortune. A safe and secure match for Rey, whose parents' death has left her with nothing certain. Nothing but this engagement. </p>
<p>But Alderaan has its own horrors waiting for her. A mysterious creature has been murdering villagers in the woods after the sun goes down, leading to strict rules about staying inside the house whenever the moon is out. Ben is distant and unsure around her, leading her to believe there is something horribly wrong that he is keeping from everyone. And there is the suspicious asylum owner that Ben seems to trust a bit too much. </p>
<p>In the rising chaos and mayhem that is soon to run rampant, Rey and Ben will have to navigate the difficult and horrifying terrain on their own before they can find a way to come together and defeat the evil curse that is determined to ruin their chance of happiness.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dark Reylo Series [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746082</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There must be something wrong with a person who can do nothing at a celebration but stand on the sidelines and watch without feeling any need to run forward and join in the joyous looking festivities. </p>
<p>That’s what Ben Solo thinks of himself as he remains motionless against the stone gate that separates the town from the forest, his hands folded politely in front of him as he views the parades of dancing and singing villagers, all dressed in bright colors and flowers showering their necks and heads, their feet stomping on the petals that fall onto the cobblestone street. </p>
<p>To be fair, he has a reason to be concealing himself within the shadows of the trees that lurk overhead, as if they’re straining to dip into the town past the wall. If anyone here noticed the wealthy Lord Solo here at the town festival, it would surely be the talk of the evening. </p>
<p>
  <i>Lord<i> Ben thinks to himself with a shiver of amusement and a slight hint of disgust. What a ridiculous title. Simply because he owns a fair bit of land and has inherited a long standing respectable reputation, he is suddenly a Lord.</i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Truthfully, there is not much in the small town of Alderaan to be a Lord over. It’s not as if he’s the Mayor.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>And yet, the Mayor is married. Along with every other Lord within a hundred mile radius. Ben has remained a bachelor in all his thirty years of life, and that has proved to present quite an aggravating problem when going out in public and having to come upon a number of young, eligible ladies who are incredibly eager to be in his company.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Another reason he has chosen to try to remain hidden away for the evening. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>True, on any other night where a festival such as this was happening, Ben would normally elect to stay within the protection of his very large and overly lavish home. But perhaps, tonight, there had been a part of him that longed to get away from such isolation and enjoy the night as any ordinary citizen.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Or at least try to come close to it. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He takes a nervous step back as a group consisting of two men with a woman between them, her arms slung over their shoulders, lurch forward on the street. They’re too busy laughing hearty guffaws about something to notice him.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Amidst the crowd, Ben spots Poe Dameron, looking as if he fits in perfectly with the scene of joyous chaos.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Something Ben has always envied his closest employee and long time friend of, was the ability he has to lose himself in almost every situation. Whether it’s a party like this, a prestigious dinner, or even a business meeting, the man can slip into the role expected of him and act as if he’s been doing it his entire life. Not only that, but he finds a way to have the grandest time in doing so.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Ben on the other hand finds himself struggling to know what to reply to his servants when they ask him what he would like for breakfast. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Not what you thought it would be, is it?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Ben turns to where the voice had emerged, jumping a bit as he hears it quite closer than he expected, not having heard anyone approach.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>But he recognizes the voice and the face immediately, and it puts him instantly back at ease. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Snoke, the owner of the local asylum, is undoubtedly a bit of an unsettling presence in general. In fact, most people in town choose not so subtly to avoid him at all costs. In Ben’s life however, the man had been a great help to him, ever since the loss of his parents when he was only fifteen. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Ben had been lost and quite alone in those dark times after the accident that had taken Han and Leia Solo. There weren’t really any other mentors in his life, since his father had preferred to keep him out of the grasp of many fellow Lords and other high class citizens that sought to lure him into the life of politics. Funny, that Ben had fallen right into the profession anyway. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Snoke seemed to be the only one who had taken an interest in his well being in those years of confusion and madness. Helped him to re-steady him enough to finish his schooling, and eventually get his life on track.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He likes to think that Snoke is a large reason why he is where he is today, despite another contributing factor being his very large inheritance that his father previously had made sure would all legally go to him once he came of age. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>One thing Han Solo was good at was making sure there was no room in any contract for smart and devious people to skip around and take everything that rightfully belonged to his family. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>God, don’t think about him now<i> Ben groans internally, pushing away the image of his father that immediately jumps into his mind, instead yearning to focus on what Snoke had just asked him. 

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I’m not sure what you mean,” he answers as the man steps closer.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Snoke looks quite out of place at a gathering such as this, even off in the shadows. His ragged clothing and scarred, slightly misshapen face make him look as if the asylum is the only place he fits into. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I’m assuming you came out here to join the fun,” Snoke continues, giving Ben an almost sarcastic grin as he gestures out to the crowd of laughter and dancing. “Yet, here you are hidden away. Not unlike you are at your own estate when guests come to visit.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I don’t do well with people,” Ben answers, something he would never admit out loud to anyone other than Snoke. And perhaps Poe. “I just wanted to get out.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Oh, enjoy some fresh air?” Snoke inquires, sounding as if he doesn’t buy the explanation. “On a night where every poor soul is out galavanting foolishly? Surely you could have chosen any other night.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>It is no use, Ben knows. Snoke had a way of seeing through everyone. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I thought maybe this time… I might be inspired to join in,” Ben admits, feeling foolish saying it out loud. Someone like him, dancing around with complete strangers, throwing confetti about the streets, letting flowers decorate his hair and his clothes is an unimaginable scene. “I suppose that was quite silly of me to think.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Ever since I’ve known you, you’re one great fear has been living your entire life exactly as you are now,” Snoke tells him. Ben turns to look back at him, his gaze immediately captured by the man’s cold, glinting eyes that send an icy command through them. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Listen to me!<i> they always seem to demand, and Ben has always been willing.

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Though I have to agree that a function such as this may not be the best way for you to discover your inner strengths,” Snoke continues, his eyes suddenly glancing far off somewhere over Ben’s shoulder, “there is one aspect that has always very much fascinated me.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben turns to follow his gaze, his eyebrows knitting in confusion when he spots the fortune teller’s tent that has been set up a few feet away.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He lets out a small huff of amusement, thinking Snoke must be joking. However, he’s never known the man to be someone who tosses out a casual joke every now and then. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You can’t be serious,” Ben muses as he turns back to face the man before him, but he sees nothing but encouragement in the sharp eyes before him. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The man simply shrugs, turning back to look out mindlessly at the crowd before them.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“At least you’ll stay out of sight,” he reminds him. “So long as you’re trying to hide yourself, you might as well get something useful out of it.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben looks back and forth between the maroon colored tent and the man standing beside him. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You don’t think that’s… I don’t know, a waste of time?” he questions, though he finds himself, as always, curious as to what Snoke is trying to imply. “I thought all that gypsy, crystal ball nonsense was… nonsense.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
Snoke doesn’t answer this time. Just gives him a side glance. His eyes widen slightly as if to question <i>well, what do you believe?</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben tries to remember what he had been trying to focus on before Snoke had approached him, but now all he can do is keep staring off at the rather ominous looking tent that casts a long shadow along the street towards him, as if reaching out a curled finger, beckoning him. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He turns back to Snoke, about to ask him if he’s ever been to a fortune teller before, but the man has already turned away, walking back to wherever he had waltzed in from. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben is left standing alone once more. Perhaps he chooses to walk over to the fortune teller tent simply out of boredom, or to have someone to talk to, let alone feeling obligated to follow Snoke’s suggestion. He’s never steered him wrong before. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>The dark colored tent towers over him once he approaches, suddenly looking much more intimidating than it had when it had been several feet away. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>His palm closes around the heavy fabric, pulling it back to reveal an incredibly dark room that is thankfully vacant apart from the old woman sitting at the tiny round table in the center of the darkened tent. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Enter,” she speaks in a quiet, yet authoritative tone. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben’s eyes squint slightly in an attempt to adjust once he steps inside and lets the curtain fall closed behind him, cutting away most of the light, the room now only depending upon the tiny, flickering flame sitting beside the woman on the table, sending dancing shadows across her wrinkled face.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>The woman looks exactly the image Ben would have pictured when hearing the words “gypsy woman”. Large shiny pieces of gold dangle from her ears that match the jewelry glinting around her arms. She is adorned in an assortment of purple and red dyed robes, along with the dark green scarf that wraps around her head. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben moves slowly, unsure at first as he approaches the table. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“What reading do you desire, young man?” she asks him in a rather bored tone. Ben briefly wonders if this is a real gypsy, or someone who simply dressed the part for today. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Um… I’m not sure… I never-”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“You would benefit most from a palm reading, but it is your choice,” the woman continues after glancing over him for a moment. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“If… if you think that would be best?”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben steps forward and carefully sits down at the table before the woman. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She continues her blank stare, extending her hand towards him.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Two shillings,” she speaks, her timbre of voice still unchanging. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben reaches into his pocket and hands her two shining coins that she whisks off somewhere under the table, before reaching out again for his hand. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He gives it to her, trying to contain his bemused laughter at what he is doing right now. If anyone he knows could see him now… </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“You come from great wealth,” she speaks, gazing rather solemnly down at his open palm. She could guess that from the way he’s dressed, no doubt. “There is great dependence upon you… pressure to succeed. To continue a legacy.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben supposes anyone could guess that about someone who comes from a wealthy family. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“There is some pain in your past. Loss… you feel it has made you more alone.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben tenses a bit at this, seeing the woman’s face suddenly grow more strained, as if she were concentrating a bit harder suddenly. Even her voice rings with something more than the monotonous drawl it had been up until now when she sees his past. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>No, that’s silly. Everyone has lost someone in their lives, that doesn’t mean…</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“You put your trust in untrustworthy beings. You have not yet grown wise to the deceit around you. You must be careful, or it will lead to much pain and suffering…”</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>The woman begins speaking so quickly, as if these things were coming into her mind too fast for her to take in. Ben almost feels himself wanting to yank his hand back away from her, but she is gripping onto him with an iron grasp now, her eyes flicking this way and that, as if a million people are speaking to her and she doesn’t know who to listen to first. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“Someone you already know will be depending on you very much in the future-”</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>The woman’s eyes shoot wide open, and Ben nearly jumps at the look of horror that flickers across her face.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>He is ready to run out of the tent, wondering if this is all still just an act, or if this woman is actually crazy.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>She turns her head slowly, her expression unchanging until her eyes are focused on him, her hands still gripping his now trembling palm.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“Darkness,” she whispers, her voice shaking as if she’s just seen a demon. “Blood… a curse… the <i>devil!<i>”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
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          <i>
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                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Ben stands up, yanking his hand away from the woman, feeling a bit of anger boil through him at her childish attempts to frighten him. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>But she remains still, her hands reached out as if she were still holding his palm.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“There is death in your future, Ben Solo,” she speaks to him, her hands beginning to curl inwards toward herself. “I fear… I fear I have awakened something… something terrible that will be bestowed upon you…”</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Ben wants to silence her, to berate her for putting on such a dramatic performance, or maybe even demand his money back. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>But all he can do is turn sharply and march out of that tent as quickly as his feet can carry him, finding himself not caring if anyone recognizes him as he gets as far away as he can from the woman and her psychotic babbling. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Luckily, a few steps into the cool, outside air calms his nerves and anger a bit, and he soon slows to a normal pace, though keeping his head down. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>He supposes it’s his own fault for wasting his time in such a way. Not to mention also wasting two shillings, but what would he have done with it anyway? </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Perhaps this really was just a cruel jest from Snoke. He briefly wonders if perhaps the woman was a former patient of his, but that thought seems a bit absurd. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
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                      <i>
                        <i>Still, the way the woman had looked at him, the way her voice had changed, the certainty in her eyes when she had told him… whatever she had been saying about the devil and a curse… Ben finds himself trying to suppress a shiver that wants to crawl down his spine. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
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                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
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</p>
<p>
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                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Though it’s a ridiculous thing for a grown man to be dwelling on, he can’t get it out of his head for the rest of the night, nor can he ignore the strange tingling sensation in his palm that quickly turns to a feeling of burning that slowly spreads throughout his arm.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
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                      </i>
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                      <i>
                        <i>Rey found the first few hours of the carriage ride away from Ajan Kloss to be quite rickety and slightly unnerving. The transition from the bumpy forest floors of her home, to the jolting, bare roads they will be traveling down for the next few hours is quite a shock, as it always is to her in the handful of times she’d made this journey in the past. Though, she suspects that those feelings begin to have less to do with the terrain, and more to do with her own jumbled nerves. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Because this time, she knows she will not be returning back. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
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                      <i>
                        <i>The various trips taken away from the small yet rich Ajan Kloss and into the grand city of Alderaan had been when she was a child, first when she was only eight, then nine, then a couple more times when she was twelve. It has been eight years since she has seen the glorious mountains and grand rivers of Alderaan, and the entire city has become almost like a romanticized dream to her. A place she and her parents would vacation to get away from the politics and responsibilities of their lives at home. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>But to be quite honest, ever since her parents passed away last year, home hasn’t really felt like home in a while. Which is why Rey is slightly yearning to get away from it. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
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                        <i>She feels that horrible guilt run through her again, and has to quickly shrug it off before that, along with the rocking motions of the carriage, can make her sick. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
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                        <i>The moment she turned eighteen, her parents had rejoiced in her ability to finally be able to go through with the arranged marriage to Han and Leia Solo’s only son. But Rey had immediately pleaded with her parents to hold off until she was ready, which she of course had felt she wasn’t. And so she had begged and begged, her parents obliging, putting off the marriage for months and months. And then fate had to play a cruel hand and have a simple trip across the sea to Takodana result in an accident that took her parents from her instantly. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                      <i>
                        <i>Rey has regretted every moment since then that she had selfishly denied her parents of their one wish for her, to see her safe in a secure marriage with a rich lord who will ensure she would never have to worry of money or safety again. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>The only thing she can do now, is everything in her power to see that wish come true, even though they can no longer be here to see it. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>She looks across at her only companion currently tidying up his jacket as he sits on the small seat across from her.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Armitage Hux has been her family’s closest advisor for as long as Rey can remember, and his father before him. Really, he’s the last person she has left to guide her in her life, seeing as no one else is as informed of the Palpatine family as he is. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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            <i>
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                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Though she’s never been as close to the man as her mother and father were, Rey is more than relieved to have him with her now. Venturing off to a new home would be a thousand times more frightening if she had not even one familiar person with her. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“It’s been so long since I’ve seen all those luxurious mountains and valleys,” she speaks, simply to break the silence between them. “I wonder if I’ll even recognize them when we arrive.” </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
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<p>
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                      <i>
                        <i>“I do hope you realize how fortunate you are,” Hux comments, his voice taking on that tone it always does when he speaks to her. Like a mentor instructing a student. “Most young women such as yourself can only dream of having such a fine match. You’re incredibly lucky your parents were able to set this in place for you.”</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“Of course, I do,” Rey nods, her eyes wide, her voice growing quiet and humble. “I also realize there are a number of women who don’t even get the chance to know who they will be wed to.” </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                        <i>Hux nods in agreement before refocusing his attention on straightening out his clothes. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
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          </i>
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<p>
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                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Rey’s parents were wealthy, yes, the wealthiest in this land in fact. But their wealth and power was nothing compared to the influence held by the Solo family in a place as big and important as Alderaan. Somehow, her father had been able to get to know Han Solo fairly well on some kind of business deal, and their family had been invited to stay with the Solo’s for a time.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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        <i>
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            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>That had been when Rey was eight, and she had met a then eighteen year old Ben Solo.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>They had played together. Rey never had many close friends in her childhood, but Ben had treated her as if she were the closest friend he’d ever had. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Their friendship had only continued to grow each time she visited. But now, things are much different. It’s been years since they’ve seen each other. Rey is a woman now, not a child. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>But perhaps that is all Ben will ever see her as. A child that used to follow him around years ago. Or worse, perhaps he might feel for her the way one feels for a little sister. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“Do you not feel any remorse for leaving your home?” Hux questions, pausing to notice her facial expression. “I’ve gathered you were quite anxious to leave this morning. You were at the carriage three hours earlier than scheduled, so I heard.” </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Rey smiles a bit to herself, staring down at her lap. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“I suppose it’s a great relief to be going somewhere again,” she admits. “I love home, but… there is so much more to see. I’ve always loved the scenic journeys to Alderaan.”</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>She takes a nervous breath before continuing to her other confession. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“And… well, perhaps I’m a bit anxious to see him again.” </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Hux nods slowly, his eyes kept on her before casually drifting out the window, where the lush green forests of Ajan Kloss are quickly fading away. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“You have been granted a very prestigious honor,” he speaks his eyes and tone growing dark and even more serious than usual. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>His gaze flickers back over to her, and her spine stiffens, her face growing hot as she suspects what will be said next.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“That means there will be no mention of that… <i>shameful<i> secret. Understood?”

</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Rey quickly nods, knowing she nor Hux even want the thought in their minds. To even discuss it openly like this is risky. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“To be safe, you shouldn’t even think of the matter,” Hux clarifies. “It dies, right here in this carriage.”</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Rey doesn’t hesitate for a moment to agree. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Wanting to take her mind of the matter, she turns her attention back out the window, mindlessly watching the scenery surrounding them as the carriage takes her further and further from her home, striking a finality in her heart that burns slightly now that it is happening.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Her greatest fear should be disappointing her fiancé. The event that her family’s shame might get out. Or even the idea that her husband to be might still see her as the twelve year old he had seen her as last. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>But the fear in Rey’s heart that frightens her the most is seemingly much sillier than all the rest, but somehow much more likely in her eyes.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>She wonders if Ben has forgotten her. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>She worries that he won’t want her. Perhaps, as he has grown further into adulthood, he has grown cold and uninterested in taking a wife. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Rey has heard tale upon tale of the unfortunate bride whose rich husband becomes cruel and monstrous, trapping her in a loveless marriage for the rest of her life, making the foreseeable future nothing but a living hell. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>That is her greatest fear.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben stands alone in the hallway moments before she is due to arrive. He’s staring blankly at some old painting of a ship on an ocean that he feels he’s been gazing at for hours. </p>
<p>His hands are clasped behind his back, and he’s currently trying to calm his breathing enough to the point where it does not look like he is choking on oxygen.</p>
<p>
  <i>Why… why does she have to come now?<i></i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He remembers Rey very well when she used to visit with her family. He knew his parents had been arranging a union between the two of them while they were outside playing in the forest or down by the lake. His mother had been the one to suggest it, after seeing how desperate Rey’s parents had seemed about securing their only daughter’s fortune and safety. His father on the other hand, had immediately been against it, outraged that his son would be forced into something as ancient as an arranged marriage. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>But Ben had been old enough to see the situation for what it was. And honestly, maybe the fact that the marriage wouldn’t happen for years made him more willing to agree to it, brushing aside his father’s warnings. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>And up until now, he hardly spared a thought to that promise that had been agreed upon years ago. Of course he thought Rey would find another husband as she grew into her own person. It had been so long since she and her family had been here, Ben had been certain that, within that time, she would have developed her own feelings of what she wanted to do with her life. He doubted an arranged marriage would have suited the liking of someone like her. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>But then the news of her parents’ death had arrived. Along with a letter promising Rey Palpatine would be here by the end of the month, ready to be married as soon as possible. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Ben can’t deny that he is eager to see her again. He recalls being quite fond of the child when she had come to visit. She was amazed by anything unfamiliar to her, and she had been endlessly fascinated by him and his home. She had begged him to show her everything, take her through town, take her through the woods, to the river. She had even asked if they could go walk through the mountains that were miles away, and he had to explain to her how cold the climate was up there and that only very experienced hikers were able to trek through them. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The girl had been incredibly lonely, that much he could tell. He didn’t know much about Ajan Kloss, but he knew how small it was. And given Rey’s social class, he guessed there weren't many other children for her to play with. That explained her eagerness every time he agreed to spend time with her. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>How awkward will it be now, both of them being adults, but really hardly knowing each other completely? Definitely not well enough to be speaking of marriage. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He has never been in love. He hasn’t even thought about it. But, the way fate has been treating him lately, he’s likely to finally encounter the alien feeling once he is trapped in a marriage with his childhood friend. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His greatest fear however, the thought that has kept him in this constant state of panic and mistrust, is what his bride to be is unknowingly walking into. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Merely a week after the town festival, Ben’s life had become a living nightmare. It has been a month now, and nine villagers have been found torn to shreds on the outskirts of the city. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
The town has been in a frenzy ever since. The official explanation had been that a wild animal was loose. But rumors had started that people had been seeing a dark phantom storm the streets at night. <i>Kylo Ren<i> is the name they have given him. A creature of the night that is the reason you should lock your doors and have your children inside by sundown.

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben knows who the real murderer is. It’s no ghost or phantom. Not a psychotic madman. It’s an inhuman creature. A monster. A feral beast that’s been around since a week after the festival. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Poe suddenly strides into the hallway, snapping Ben out of his silent nervous breakdown. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Poe Dameron, as always, looks completely unbothered. Casual even. How he manages to do it, Ben will never know. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He at least is always able to notice when Ben is far from comfortable.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“What do I do?” he asks his friend desperately, allowing himself to sound weak as long as it’s just the two of them speaking alone. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Poe’s jaw is set, and his eyes flicker to the ground briefly, but he simply gives Ben an asserted nod, as if he somehow knew everything would somehow work itself out of this horrible mess. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“There’s not much we can do,” he tells him. Ben already knows this, of course. “Until we find that gypsy woman, which we will, we have to remain in the dark. The only thing you can do right now is go along with this wedding.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Poe, I can’t-”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“You can,” the man answers unflinchingly. “You have to. For now, at least.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben opens his mouth to protest, to give Poe another excuse, another reason this is a horrid and dangerous idea. But he knows Poe is right. There is nothing they can do now, no matter how much he pleads for an answer. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The two men wait a moment longer in silence, before turning and walking out of the hallway towards the front of the grand mansion, where they are due to meet Rey Palpatine any moment now.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben feels more akin to the stone statues decorating the front porch rather than a living breathing human being as he watches the small carriage scuttle forward along the dirt path leading up to the manor. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He couldn’t be happier that Poe and a few of the servants are standing around him so that all the attention won’t immediately focus on him. Though he doubts that Rey will be confused as to which one of the men her fiancé is, given the way he is dressed and how tall he is, making him stand out like a gaudy sore thumb. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He briefly wonders if Rey might be more entertained by Poe, since he is the more talkative and probably the more welcoming of the two of them. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Poe seems to sense Ben’s sudden urge to run back inside, because he steps behind him, making sure to block his path back to the front doors. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The horses come to a halt just before the front steps, and in the brief silence that follows, Ben wonders if he should step forward and open the door for her. But before he can move, the drivers get there first, jumping down from their seats and rushing briskly to the side of the carriage, where they whisk open the rather old looking doors with a loud creak that resounds through the air. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>A red headed man steps out first, a man that looks rather familiar to Ben, but he can’t recall ever meeting him formally. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He turns, offering his hand to the last passenger inside the carriage.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>A gloved hand accepts his, and a figure draped in a soft red colored cloak steps down onto the ground. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben isn’t sure what he had been expecting. All he could ever picture of Rey was the little girl that used to be his friend, so perhaps his mind had been trying to shape what that little girl might look like, only slightly older. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>But the young woman who steps out of the carriage before him looks nothing like the child that visited him years ago. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Her face is soft, yet mature. Not the naive, childish face that was always giggling and grinning broadly up at him. Her hazel colored eyes seem to sparkle with bits of gold as she blinks around in wonder at the familiar estate, her gaze not landed on him just yet. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Her brown hair is pulled away from her face, and as Ben looks closer, he sees it tied up in a strange pattern he’s never even seen before. Perhaps it is some hairstyle popular in Ajan Kloss. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He tries to recall how she had worn her hair as a child, but he can’t quite picture it. It’s suddenly hard to picture her as a child at all anymore after looking at her like this. Knowing that this woman is to be his wife. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>She finally looks at him, and all the wondrous joy that had been melting over her face snaps away, as fear and slight panic flutters through her eyes, her small pink lips slightly parted as she seems to frantically search her mind for what she is supposed to do. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The red haired man standing beside her looks panicked as well, as though he’s desperately trying to communicate to her what she is to do now.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben supposes this means the responsibility falls on him. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He steps forward, feeling Poe encourage him on. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Rey seems even more startled as he walks closer to her, and he wonders if he looks more intimidating than he means to be, so he tries to relax himself, though when his nerves are firing away through every inch of his body, it’s a bit difficult to present a calming aura.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“My Lady,” he speaks, bowing slightly as he mentally slaps himself. <i>My Lady?!<i> “Welcome back,” he manages out, reaching his hand out to take her gloved hand that feels so small and delicate in his, that he finds himself fearful his large, clumsy grip might damage her. 

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Luckily, his kiss to her hand isn’t as atrocious as his speaking. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Forgive me,” he quickly decides to apologize, staring shamefully at her feet. “I seem to have forgotten all the words to greet you.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>After a moment, he raises his gaze back up to hers, prepared to see disgust now coating her eyes as she stares upon the socially stunted fool who is to be her husband. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>But all he sees in her glittering hazel eyes is warmth and perhaps slight amusement. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She suddenly seems much more calm than she had been seconds ago. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“It appears we are both forgetful fools then,” she replies, a small smile circling her lips. “I as well seem to be unable to remember my grand speech of graciousness and humility at your generosity.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben laughs softly, feeling himself ease at her lightheartedness. He then offers her his arm, feeling so out of place, especially in front of the small crowd that seems to be watching them closely. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey doesn’t seem to mind his awkwardness as she takes his arm, smiling brightly as he leads her towards the house, wanting to get out of sight from everyone as soon as possible. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Though he has to admit, he does feel a bit more assertive with Rey’s surprisingly comforting presence beside him.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey tries her best not to grip onto Ben’s arm too tightly as they walk up the stairs toward the front doors of the manor, praying she won’t slip down the stone steps in her rather uncomfortable new shoes, which seems like something she would most definitely do in front of all these people, one being her fiancé. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Fortunately, she manages to maintain her balance and keep up with Ben’s pace, which turns out to be a bit of a challenge in itself since he seems to stride rather than walk. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Her self consciousness also begins to worsen as the servant at the front door offers to take her cloak once they cross the threshold, and she finds herself a bit more exposed than she would have liked to be. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Her very old, pearl white satin dress is most certainly not in style, and far from the finest she owns. But of course, she had decided to wear it today since it had been her mother’s once, and she wanted to feel as close to her as possible on this most important day, knowing that she probably would have been clinging to her mother like a lost child if she had been here. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Instead, she is left standing by herself, now not knowing what to do with her arms, forgetting all the proper etiquette for a young lady as she tries not to notice the few female servants giving her odd looking dress equally odd stares. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Trying to push the worries aside, Rey briefly focuses on gaping about her surroundings.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The mansion is much how she remembers it. In fact, standing here now gives her a sudden thrill through her stomach, like the kind she got when finding a childhood doll or book she hadn’t seen in many years. Like a flood of memories suddenly come rushing back to her, making her wish she were alone so she could marvel at it all in silence.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I hope everything is to your liking,” Ben speaks, startling her out of her brief moment of recollection. “Feel free to ask any of the servants if you are in need of anything.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“Or myself,” the man who has been standing near Ben for a while suddenly speaks loudly. “I am the closest advisor to our dear Master of the house, though I’m not <i>nearly<i> as much fun.”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Rey finds herself suppressing a grin as she sees Ben’s face go slightly red at the man’s words. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“This is Poe Dameron,” he introduces the man, who then bows dramatically. “He is at your service as well.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I’m also here to provide any glimpse of sanity you may need while staying in this place,” Poe adds, resting his hands on his hips as he glances towards Rey. “I think Ben can attest to that.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I can attest that you can be quite distracting,” Ben answers, and Rey can see a hint of a smile hiding behind his lips. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Entertaining, is what you mean,” Poe replies. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Poe Dameron, Rey decides, is quite dashing. His smile lights up the entire room, and something about his seemingly care-free attitude brings a sense of levity that is much needed. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben clasps his hands behind his back, and Rey can tell he doesn’t quite know how to be in charge in such a situation as this.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>To be honest, she is relieved the duty doesn’t fall on her. Still, she finds something in her heart yearns to reassure him.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I will have someone assist you in bringing your luggage to the guest chambers,” he speaks, nodding towards her and Hux, who is lingering behind her. “That can give you time to get something to eat and relax-”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Guest chambers?” Rey blurts out before she can stop herself. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Everyone turns to look at her and she suddenly wishes very much that she would disappear into nothing. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Why in the world would she say such a thing out loud? She can almost feel Hux wanting to slap his palm to his face.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Yes,” Ben nods before she can think of a way to save herself from this suddenly horrible situation. “I thought… well, I thought I would give you… we would give each other some time to get to know one another again, before we…”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Yes,” Rey nods, her eyes wide with agreement. “I understand completely, I just… I was simply wondering where the guest chambers were.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She can tell that wasn’t quite a convincing salvage of her stupidity, because there is still an uncomfortableness in the air.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Lord, what was she expecting, that Ben would be jumping to have her sleep in his quarters on the first night? The last time he saw her she was twelve years old!</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“They’re right on the edge of the manor,” Poe suddenly answers, gesturing up and off towards the grand staircase. “Gorgeous view, I assure you. No need to worry, I’m sure they will be every bit as good as the bedroom you had the last time you visited, Miss Palpatine.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Though the comment made her look a bit uppity, Rey couldn’t be more thankful for Poe’s words and dismissal of the fact that her outburst had made her look a bit promiscuous. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Thankfully, after that and some brief words about where everyone will be off to, everyone departs, the men going off to either help with the luggage or speak to each other about whatever importance men speak about, leaving Rey to herself in the large, empty room.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Rey ends up being relieved that she had insisted on no one accompanying her as she explores the house, because she finds the space and quiet to be undeniably relaxing after all the commotion that has happened already. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She wanders through the mansion, all the rooms she remembers running around as a child. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Though it does strike something warm and familiar in her, she can’t help but feel that something is strangely different about everything. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>It’s colder, slightly more empty, devoid of something light and comforting that had been there before. She does notice that some of the furniture and pictures on the walls have been removed. A pillow here, a candelabra there. Little things that had pieced the rooms together that are now absent, almost in an uncomfortable way. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She wonders if these were things that were taken away after Han and Leia’s passing. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Still, even without those small touches, Rey can’t help but marvel at the beauty of the large home. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Her parents had a small cottage that they had raised her at, being very humble people despite their adequate wealth. There would be times where they would have to go off on various important meetings, but they would still leave her within the little sanctuary with whatever caregiver they had available at the time. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She had rarely relished in the lap of luxury, despite her family being of the highest status in Ajan Kloss.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She realizes, however, that this is exactly what her life will be from now on. Being wed to one of the wealthiest Lords in Alderaan is something Rey imagines many young women dream of. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>This will be her house. Her marriage will be celebrated here, in the courtyard. She will raise her children here, probably even give birth to them here. Then she will live out the rest of her days here, unless Ben acquires a different estate for them to spend their final years in. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>It all hits her much harder than she expected, and she feels an overwhelming feeling that makes her throat feel choked up.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Quickly pushing all those thoughts aside before she starts crying in the middle of the sitting room, she instead decides to focus on the memory that comes to mind as she runs her hand along the soft, velvet couches.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>It was on her second visit when she had come bounding in here, out of breath, her hair windblown after running circles around the courtyard, climbing all the walls of vines and greenery resulting in a pattern of scratches on her arms and legs that she hardly noticed. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Now that she thinks back on it, she’s sure that poor Ben had been beyond exhausted after chasing her around the yard for two hours, but if he was, he hadn’t complained. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“<i>C’mon!<i>” she had squealed after tearing past the doors to the sitting room and zipping her way around the couches and tables, careful not to knock over any of the expensive vases. “</i>You can’t catch me!<i>”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>She had leaped clean over one of the couches after he had suddenly lunged at her, swiping an arm out in an attempt to grab her, but missing as she had pulled off the quite unexpected move.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Rey recalls she herself had been surprised that she had been able to do it, but she supposes she had been running so high on adrenaline, and with her added agility as a seventy or so pound eight year old, she had somehow been able to launch herself clean over the piece of furniture. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“<i>You’re crazy<i>,” Ben had sighed, gaping at her in astonishment. “</i>Do they teach you all of this back home?<i>”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>He had always teased her with questions like that, telling her only the craziest people he’d ever met had come from Ajan Kloss. It took her some years to realize he probably never even met anyone else from her home. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Her thoughts of Ben now return to when she had first spotted him, moments ago, standing outside the house after she had stepped out of the carriage and gawked around like a fool for a few seconds before remembering why she was even here in the first place. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>He still looks sort of the same. He still seems to tower over everyone he stands beside, though his rather awkward nature makes it a bit less intimidating. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>When he had taken her hand, just as he did when she was a child, she was amused to see that he could still practically engulf her entire hand in his palm. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Even his face looks very much as it did when she saw him last. Only something different ran through her when she looked at it this time. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>In just the small amount of time they have already been together, she found herself noting every detail about his uniquely handsome face that she had never even considered all the times before. The curve of his jawline, his large and soft looking lips, his dark colored eyes that had stared at everything with such intensity. Even his deep, yet gentle voice had struck something in her that was completely unfamiliar, but felt good. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>He had just been entering manhood when she had met him, but now, there seems to be little trace of the boy who used to chase her around the grounds day and night. In fact, Ben seems to have become almost an exact image of what his father used to be. And Rey finds herself admiring the man he has grown to become.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>That is why, she very cautiously, begins to set all her previous worries aside, allowing herself to be a bit more hopeful that this could turn out better than she expected.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>The evening had been surprisingly uneventful. Being of such importance, Ben had very much to attend to through the remainder of the day, and had disappeared for quite some time. Even through dinner. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Rey had wondered if he really had so much work to be doing, or if perhaps he needed a break from all the excitement. He would often whisk her away around dinner time when she was a little girl so they could play somewhere far away from everyone. When she had asked him why, he had told her he needed some space to calm himself.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Even as a child, she had wondered why then he would take her with him, but she went along with it without much thought. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
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                            <i>At exactly seven o’clock, all the servants seem to scamper out the door, as if late for something, and the remaining one leads Hux and Rey up the grand staircase, through some twists and turns down the hallway that Rey finds herself a bit lost at, and finally to their bed chambers. </i>
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                            <i>It is dark now, and has been some time since she and Hux had been led to the guest chambers, where they are now lounging in the joint living room, the two of them sitting at the small dining table, neither bothering with the bread and water that had been placed before them. </i>
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                            <i>Hux leans back in his chair and sighs as he stares down at the ground, while Rey gazes curiously out the window that looks out over the side of the grand, beautiful courtyard. She’s looking further beyond it though, trying to see if any bright lights or sounds of celebration can be seen or heard from town. Since all the servants seemed to leave in such a hurry, she figures there must be something going on. </i>
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                            <i>“I must say, this drafty part of the house is still warmer than our greeting,” Hux muses, almost sounding bored as he gazes around the small quarters. </i>
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                            <i>Rey turns to look at him in shock.</i>
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                            <i>“What do you mean by that?” she asks, forgetting herself. </i>
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                            <i>“I mean that our host was present all of five minutes before vanishing and having us fend for ourselves,” Hux continues, rising from his seat and beginning to pace about the room, glancing out each window he passes, as if looking for something.</i>
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                            <i>“Don’t be silly Hux, we were perfectly attended to,” Rey offers, trying to sound optimistic. “Anyway, Ben is an incredibly busy man. I’m sure we can’t even begin to know what kind of things he has on his hands.” </i>
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                            <i>Hux spares a brief glance at her that she can’t quite read before going back to gazing out into the night. </i>
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                            <i>“You were always too forgiving of people you admire,” he comments as he pauses at the window she had been looking out. “Do you think your Prince Charming will have a good explanation for this?” </i>
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                            <i>“For what?”</i>
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“<i>This<i>,” he emphasizes, gesturing his hand about. “The entire house suddenly shrouded in darkness at a most indecent hour. Not a single servant about. That’s why they have servant’s quarters, you know. You don’t just send them away at the end of the day…”

</i></i></p><p>
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                                <i>“Things could be done differently here,” Rey shrugs, intent on not letting these same thoughts that crossed her mind bother her in the way they seem to be irritating Hux. </i>
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                                <i>“And I’m sure you didn’t notice that Mr. Dameron character going around and locking all the doors and windows,” Hux continues, turning to stare at her pointedly. “This place is starting to seem more like a strict prison than the home of a Lord.” </i>
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                                <i>Rey doesn’t answer for a moment, recalling indeed that Poe seemed to be checking the long line of windows when she had glanced down after getting halfway up the staircase, pulling on the handles, as if making sure they wouldn’t open. </i>
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                                <i>“It’s been a long day,” Rey decides, rising from her seat as well. “Perhaps things will start to make more sense in the morning. I am sure someone as reasonable as Ben Solo will have a perfectly good explanation.” </i>
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                                <i>She can’t tell if Hux is considering this, or ignoring her completely because he remains silent for a very long time, still staring out the window with an expression she can’t see. </i>
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                                <i>“Nothing must go wrong here, Rey,” he speaks, his voice as authoritative as ever. “Ben Solo is a very powerful man. And that is power you could share as well, if everything goes according to plan.”</i>
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                                <i>“Is that what’s got you so worried?” she questions, smiling a bit at the absurdity of it all. “That he won’t want to wed me?” </i>
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                                <i>He’s quiet again, until he slowly turns around to face her, his eyes narrowed.</i>
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                                <i>“You will need to impress him, Rey,” he reminds her. “A man like that can make or break any engagement he pleases now that he is in charge of his own affairs.”</i>
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                                <i>“I know all the rules, Hux,” she nods, honestly feeling weary of the whole thing. “I am well aware of the risks any woman takes when being in an engagement to a powerful man. I can’t promise you that everything will work out according to plan, but you can be damned sure I am going to do my best.” </i>
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                                <i>He seems prepared to argue with her on this, but instead simply gives her a rather begrudgingly satisfied nod.</i>
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                                <i>From the look in his eyes, Rey almost thinks he is about to bring up the unspeakable family secret they agreed never to discuss again, but thankfully, he says nothing else on the matter. </i>
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                                <i>“Perhaps you are right,” he decides, striding over to the other side of the room where the door to his bedroom is. “It is very late, and we both need the rest.” </i>
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                                <i>Rey nods in silent agreement, bidding him goodnight before he disappears on the other side of the maroon colored door, leaving her alone in the now even quieter lounge room. </i>
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                                <i>She’s surprised to find herself wide awake, and wishing she had one of the books she always used to borrow from the library back home with her now to ease her mind a bit. But there seems to be not much else to do but clean up the unfinished food, put out all the candles, and go into her own bed chambers to ready herself for bed. </i>
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                                <i>Hux wasn’t lying when he had jabbed about the coldness of the rooms, and Rey finds herself trying to stop her teeth from chattering as she changes into her nightgown. There is a fireplace in front of her bed, but the wood seems to be absent, and with no servants around, she isn’t sure she would find much success if she ventures out to try and find someone to help her.</i>
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                                <i>She has to make do with putting a robe on over her nightdress, thinking she will probably have to sleep with it on if the bed isn’t much warmer. In fact, she goes back into her trunk and takes out one of her warmest cloaks to use as another blanket. </i>
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                                <i>Just as she begins pulling the sheets of the bed back and laying the cloak out underneath the comforter, a small, squeaking sound catches her attention.</i>
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                                <i>At first, she is sure it must be the wind, perhaps blowing against a loose screw in a window or something. But as she stands still, her ears straining to listen to the small sound, she begins to hear a clicking sound coming from the direction of the joint lounge room. </i>
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                                <i>After staying still for a few seconds, waiting for the sound to go away, she quietly steps toward the door to her bedroom, placing her hand on the ice cold handle, which sends a shiver jittering through her, before turning it and slowly opening the door, peeking out into the now darkened room.</i>
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                                <i>The sound creaks through the room again, and Rey’s eyes are drawn to the large wooden door that leads out into the hallway. </i>
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                                <i>From the small bit of moonlight that is just beginning to show through the window, she sees the handle shifting slightly, almost in a careful sort of way.</i>
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                                <i>As if someone were turning a key through the lock while trying not to make much noise. </i>
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                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>She waits with bated breath, staring unblinking at the door handle until it eventually stops moving, and the sound ceases for almost an entire minute before Rey decides to finally move forward into the room and towards the door.</i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>When she clasps her hands around the handle to pull the door open, it doesn’t budge.</i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rey is trapped in an endless crescendo of terror once sleep takes her. </p>
<p>It is a dark abyss of demons and faceless ghouls, monsters that claw and scratch her, devils that bite into her flesh. Screams echo all around her, making her skull ache and her blood freeze with dread. </p>
<p>She is suffocated by a heavy blackness that fills her senses, grabbing at her arms and legs, and forcing its way down her throat. </p>
<p>Flashes of horrifying images surround her. Showers of blood raining through a thick forest. A ghoulish figure reaching it’s bony hand toward her. Her parents screaming in pain, begging her to help them. </p>
<p>It’s as if every nightmare she’s ever had is intent on showering down on her.</p>
<p>She awakens many times, finding herself in a dark, unfamiliar room surrounded by strange items she does not recognize, sweating through her nightdress and robe before realizing where she is. </p>
<p>A horrendous sound rings through the air each time she startles awake, as if the creatures from her nightmares have followed her out of unconsciousness. The sounds make her jump, chills going through her spine as she attempts to find a way to hide herself from whatever grisly being is after her.</p>
<p>But after curling in on herself and hearing nothing but her frantic panting fill the empty air for about half an hour, she realizes whatever noise she thought had ringed out must have come from her own mind. </p>
<p>It takes four times waking like this in the night before Rey decides to get out of bed, rip open the curtains to the window at the back wall of her room, and sit stubbornly atop her mattress, intent on staying awake until the sun rises. </p>
<p>But something about the ghostly glow from the moon that now fills her chamber makes sure the eerie sensation from her nightmares remains with her until dawn. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>After such a ghastly night, Rey assumes she can blame her sour mood this morning on her lack of sleep. </p>
<p>As she sits in the lounge room with her steaming coffee before her, she can’t help but gaze bitterly out the open window.</p>
<p>A fog seems to have settled over the land and refuses to let up. Rey has always hated the fog, finding something about it to be absolutely unnerving. But here, in Alderaan, where she can recall nothing but sunny, if at times a bit chilly days all months of the year, it seems even worse. </p>
<p>When she follows Hux and the servant who comes up to greet them at half past eight to lead them downstairs for breakfast, she is careful to keep her face painted with a blank, slightly tired look. She knows how rude it would be of her to have such a dire attitude the day after her arrival. </p>
<p>Still, she finds her spirits remaining unimproved as she sits at the dining table, no one but her, Hux, and a couple servants here and there in sight. Conversation, therefore, is minimal. </p>
<p>She hardly focuses on her breakfast even as she eats it. The sinister feeling from her nightmares still lingers, making her feel slightly delirious, as if she’s sleepwalking. </p>
<p>Looking out the window into the dull grey skies, she can’t help but feel as if Alderaan looks as if it has had all the life sucked from it, much like how she feels about herself at the moment. </p>
<p>Still, seeing no other option to try and wake herself up out of her wretched daze, she decides to go out for a walk. </p>
<p>The woods are blessedly only a stone’s throw away from the house, so she doesn’t require a chaperone to accompany her. She’s always been annoyed at how nervous men seem to get whenever she wants to go out on her own. As if it was unheard of for someone to want to have some time alone.</p>
<p>Despite the dreariness of the weather, Rey is pleased when she feels herself begin to ease at the fresh air. By the time she gets down to the woods, past the tree line and within the secure sanctuary of the forest, she finds herself relaxing immensely. </p>
<p>The woods here have always looked so different from the ones that make up Ajan Kloss, but the aura feels like home all the same. However, one glaring difference today, is that the woods have been significantly darkened by the fog. There was hardly a foggy day in Ajan Kloss, and the sun always broke perfectly through the thick array of trees, lighting the entire forest with a cheerful glow that one could never be unhappy with. </p>
<p>Good Lord. She can’t <i>already<i> be home sick. She hasn’t even been here twenty four hours, and already she’s craving the weather from back home? That can’t be a good sign. </i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She becomes so muddled in her pit of self despair, that when she spots a figure walking out from behind a nearby tree, she just about jumps to the heavens. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’m sorry!” the figure calls out before she can scream in fright. Actually, they themselves seem to have looked fairly startled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you… I guess I wasn’t paying attention very well.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Her eyes stay transfixed as Ben Solo comes walking towards her into focus from the blurring fog.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She lets out a small sigh of relief, feeling silly. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You scared the daylights out of me,” she breathes, though she can’t help but laugh. “Damn this fog. From here, you looked like a creature of the night.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He stops once he is standing before her, looking down at her with amusement.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Well, then it wouldn’t make much sense for me to be out in the daytime, would it?” he points out. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey stares at him in surprised beguilement. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Aren’t you a funny one,” she prods. “I don’t remember you being one for wisecracks.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“That’s because you were too young to understand my humor,” he fires back effortlessly. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Why do I get the feeling you’ve been waiting to say that to me for a long time?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Because you are a very wise person,” he sighs, moving forward to place his arm around her waist and guide her further down the path she had been walking as she laughs merrily.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>A wonderful wave of comfort seems to flow over her when he touches her, and the two of them walk along as any ordinary, courting couple would. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Do you remember playing down here?” she asks him as she stares around at all the large trees she climbed at one time, all the thick brush she would hide herself in when Ben was trying to find her. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I do,” he nods, looking around himself and recalling his own memories. “I think of it everyday.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She’s surprised at this, and looks over at him curiously. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You do?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He looks back down to the ground, staring at their feet as they pad along in the dirt.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You know I’ve never met anyone else like you,” he says, looking back over at her and suddenly making her face turn very red. “In my entire childhood, and every woman I’ve met after that… I haven’t come across a single one that has even sat by a tree, let alone climbed one.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey laughs in disbelief, turning away from him and not knowing why she feels so bashful. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Well, the women around here didn’t grow up in a forest,” she reminds him. “One can be quite tempted to explore nature when it constantly surrounds their everyday life. I started climbing trees when I was three.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“<i>Three?<i>” Ben chortles with incredulity. 
</i></i></p>
<p>

“Yes, three,” she continues as they go on walking. “And believe me, if I had been in <i>my<i> forest when you saw me, I would have done a lot more than climb trees. There were branches I could swing from, vines I could crawl up, there was even this tree trunk that had fallen over a chasm that everyone was too afraid to walk across, but I ran across it almost everyday.”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She feels a bit self conscious suddenly about talking too much, but she doesn’t notice an annoyed look on Ben’s face. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“And this was all by the time you were eight?” he questions, not looking teasing or even doubtful at all. There is a look of amazement and wonder on his face, as if he wasn’t hesitating to believe that every word of her seemingly tall tales is true. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Indeed,” she replies. “Enough time to have significantly furthered my skills from just climbing a tree.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I can’t imagine what you must be able to do now,” he muses. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey wants to continue answering in her confident stride of conversation she’s been giving so far, but nothing can stop the lurch in her heart at his words, and the frown that quickly melts away her cheerful expression. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben turns to her and notices, causing him to cease his walking, dragging them both to a halt as he looks at her in concern.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I actually… well, I don’t really do it anymore,” Rey tries to answer quickly so as not to cause a scene. She pesses on walking, now dragging Ben along with her as he remains gazing down at her, no doubt wondering what has caused her violent change in mood. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Oh,” he nods, obviously not knowing how to continue.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The air is silent as they walk now, and Rey curses herself for bringing them right back to feeling like they were meeting for the first time and don’t know the first thing to say to one another. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I suppose I haven’t really had the energy,” she continues speaking, trying desperately to lighten her tone a bit to at least sound as casual as possible. “Ever since I came of age and then… my parents died, it’s been a bit… different.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>It takes a lot to choke those words out, but she at least manages it without completely breaking down, as she would have if she had to speak of it in this manner a few months ago. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She suddenly feels Ben’s arm press more tightly around her as if he were holding her close to him rather than just politely resting his arm around her as a gentleman would. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I understand,” he speaks in a voice that convinces her completely that he isn’t just saying it to make her feel better. “Things change after… well, everything changes.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“It’s like something’s been taken away,” she tells him, not caring if she’s talking too much anymore. It feels so good to finally speak. “Obviously, something has been taken away, but… it’s as if the world senses it. And everything changes.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He looks over to her.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Is that why you wanted to come here?” he questions, but the inquiry doesn’t sound accusing. “You wanted to get away from home?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Is it shameful to admit such a thing to your fiancé?</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I suppose it is,” she confesses. “Please, don’t take it the wrong way, I’ve been fully prepared for our marriage ever since I was told of it. It’s just… perhaps I was a bit scared to leave home for good before. But after… I really just wanted to go somewhere where I can start my own life. A place that I can make into my home, that has nothing to do with my parents and where I come from.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Even revealing it out loud to herself is a relief. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I’m so sorry if I’ve offended you,” she quickly continues after taking a breath. “Perhaps I shouldn’t speak of such things when-”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“We’re going to be married, Rey,” he tells her, his voice gentle and consoling. “I am going to be your husband. There is nothing in this world that you should feel you can not speak with me about. And all I can promise is that I will do everything in my power to help you with whatever you should need from me.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Something inside her warns that she shouldn’t trust deceiving words from a powerful man that can turn on her any moment he wishes. But right now, all she wants to do is revel in the fact that it feels as if an enormous weight has been lifted from her chest. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Thank you, Ben,” is all she can muster up, even though she wants so much to tell him how relieved he has just made her. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>It is quiet again as they continue walking, but it is a good silence this time. Even some of the fog seems to be letting up as they venture deeper into the trees and brush, all noise from the outside world dropping away until it soon feels like she and him have fallen into a peaceful abyss. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey finds herself hugging closer to him as they walk on, comforted by his warmth. She’s never had someone walk like this with her before, and though she would have thought it would have been quite cumbersome at first, she finds that she seems to fit almost perfectly at his side. At least here she does.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“So you still come here often,” she muses, smiling at him warmly. “I would have thought you wouldn’t find the time, now that you have so many responsibilities.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“This is one place I always try to make time for,” he admits. “It’s a calming place to be when one is distressed. Which has been too often in the past few weeks…”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He seems to add this last part quietly, as if he isn’t sure he had wanted her to hear it or not. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I’m sorry,” she tries offering him solace, though she has never comforted anyone before in her life. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She wonders briefly what kind of a wife this will make her. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been worrying all this time about him being the cold and distant one.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Is your work very troubling?” she offers, thinking that could be the only thing making him so sorrowful. “I can only imagine how pressuring it must be to be in your position.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He doesn’t answer at first, and she worries if she’s said the wrong thing. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Lord, why can’t people teach you how to handle situations like this?</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I suppose it is,” he nods, staring out ahead of them at something Rey can’t see. “Among other things.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Other things…</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>She knows what she is about to say is entirely improper, but Ben seems to be the kind of person who prefers to speak a bit more directly than most.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“Do you want to marry me?”</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>He slows momentarily, turning his puzzled gaze towards her. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“Do I want to marry you?” he repeats, sounding as if the answer couldn’t be more obvious. “Of course I do, this engagement has been in place for years-”</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“Ben, you can speak freely with me,” she implores him as they both stop walking to turn and face each other. “There is no one around, nobody will ever hear us. These words need not even leave this place. But I must know what your feelings are.” </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Her gaze implores him to be honest with her, to admit he has no romantic attraction to her, or that he is too busy with all his various business to want to settle down, or whatever realistic barrier that exists that will stop them from being able to love each other completely. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>But his next words catch her completely off guard.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“Do <i>you<i> not want to marry me?”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Oh no. What is she supposed to say? </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“I… I…” she stutters, her eyes wide, her mouth agape. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>For one horrible second, she thinks all of this is about to fall apart, right here at this moment. And it will of course have been all her doing. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>But Ben suddenly reaches down and takes both of her hands in his. After taking another second to marvel at how his hands can envelop hers entirely, she carefully raises her eyes to him. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“If you don’t want this,” he begins, his voice stern, but his eyes slightly weary, “you will not be forced into anything. We are both adults and are free to make our own choices.”</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>She can’t deny that she is grateful for his clarification, but it only sends a sneaking suspicion through her that may confirm what she can already guess.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“You don’t want this,” she speaks, imagining her voice coming out sympathetic in her mind, but hearing it actually come out sounding more pathetic and disappointed. “You don’t want to get married at all…”</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“I never said that,” he replies, his voice remaining calm. He takes one hand away from hers and slowly brushes it against her face.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Rey is shocked at the electricity that seems to shoot through her, feeling his skin against hers for the first time since all those years ago when she would grab his hand and drag him off to wherever she had wanted to go.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Now she always has these ridiculous gloves on. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“I want this as long as you do,” he assures her, his dark colored eyes staring so deeply into hers, she feels compelled to not even blink as he speaks to her. “All I ask is that we give each other some time to get to know each other again. Since… well, it seems like we’ve both changed quite a bit since the last time we saw one another.” </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Rey can’t help but laugh, if a bit lifelessly. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>The very last time they had seen each other, things had been a bit strange between them, to say the least. She was twelve, and he twenty two. So there hadn’t been nearly as much running around and playing about the house. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>They were both very well aware of the planned engagement at that point, and it had made things incredibly embarrassing between them, having the relationship they had and then being the ages they were. Their interactions for that entire visit had been strained, to say the least. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“I agree completely,” she tells him. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Wanting to leave all the serious talk aside now, the two go on walking as they had, their initial shyness soon left behind as they begin to speak as casually as they had years before.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>It doesn’t last nearly as long as Rey would have preferred, Ben having to get back to work soon, but the hour or so they do spend, here alone in the woods with nothing but their conversation filling the early morning air, she feels an amazing sense of relief.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Ben Solo has certainly grown up since the last time she saw him, but it appears his heart has remained just as kind as she had remembered. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>The morning walk improved Rey’s mood significantly, and Hux, along with the staff, were very pleased to see her return in better spirits than she had been in when she left. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>As she finds once she returns from her stroll through the woods, there isn’t very much for a woman to do in this place. At least when she had been a child, she could be content with running rapidly through the house and the courtyard and having Ben to play with her to ease her boredom. But Ben has his own responsibilities now, and she is a bit too old to be skipping through the rooms and leaping over furniture. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>She does find a library that at least has a few books of interest. However, the majority of them appear to be books on politics or economics, which she is sure were very helpful for the Solo family, but of little to no interest to her. She manages to find a small pile of the only fictional books in the entire library, but even those seem to have a main character who is deeply involved in politics and economics in some way. But it is surely superior to sitting around doing nothing all day until supper is announced. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Rey had hoped that the walk in the morning had done enough to clear Ben’s mind as well, and put him at ease as it had her. In fact, she feels a bit silly, sitting at the dining room table, unable to take her eyes off the double doors that Ben will walk through any second now, feeling excited to see him again, even though they had been together only hours before. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>She already imagines everything she wants to talk to him about, the first being how he has far too many non-fictional books in the library. But when he finally does come through the doors, and dinner is quickly served, Rey decides there really is only one thing she wants to request from him. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>But as he brushes across the room to his seat at the head of the table, she sees he looks far more troubled than he had before. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>His eyes are narrowed, his hair looks as if he’s been running his hands through it all day, his fists are closed as if he is gripping onto something she can’t see, and from the way his shoulders are hunched slightly and his jaw is clenched, she can tell this is the last place he wants to be. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Rey finds she can’t blame him, seeing as, given the intense silence that has fallen over the room, she would much rather be away from the presence of Hux, Poe, and the various servants milling about the room, setting down plates and pouring glasses of wine for everyone. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>The silence prevails even once the four of them begin delicately eating the meal before them, everyone far too afraid to be the one to begin the dinner conversation. Even Poe seems oddly unwilling to speak. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>But after minute upon agonizing minute, Rey decides that she is seated close enough to Ben to be able to keep their speaking somewhat casual.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“I had a really nice time today,” she tells him, trying to keep her voice quiet, and non-badgering, not wanting to annoy him. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>He freezes his mechanical movements of poking through his food with his fork, turning a surprised looking gaze up at her. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>For a moment, she wishes she had never said anything. Her attempt at only speaking to him failed horribly, and she feels all the attention in the room suddenly turned to her. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>She is relieved when another voice begins speaking. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“Hux, I must say, things in Alderaan have changed significantly since your last visit,” Poe suddenly begins talking, directing his attention toward Hux, turning both of them away from Ben and Rey. “I’m sure the political climate of Ajan Kloss is not quite as out of control as it is here…”</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>She feels she could jump up and hug Poe for his distraction.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“I did as well,” Ben answers her as Hux and Poe continue conversing amongst themselves, leaving the two of them free to speak somewhat privately. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>She hopes he will be the one to continue, but he goes back to staring blankly down at his dinner, obviously still tense about something. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Desperate to get him back to the relaxed state he had been in this morning, she tries to brighten her tone, still trying to sound gentle and non intruding. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“Perhaps… after supper, we could go back out,” she offers, feeling her stomach flip as she asks him. “That is, if you’re not too busy of course. But it might be nice to get away again, as we did this morning-”</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>She is startled nearly out of her skin as Ben suddenly snaps his gaze back up to her, his hand gripping the utensil now, his other fist coming up to rest on the table as his sharp gaze captures her eyes and makes her heart jump in fright.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“You are <i>never<i> to leave this house after sunset,” he orders, nowhere close to shouting, but his voice coating with a dark seriousness that seems to shoot into her very being, demanding her to listen. 

</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Rey shrinks back in her chair, her eyes wide as he glares down at her.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
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                          <i>
                            <i>“I don’t know how things are back at your home, but here, nights are incredibly dangerous,” he continues, his glare unmoving. “You will not go into those woods, you will not go into town, you won’t even step outside while the moon is out, do you understand?” </i>
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                            <i>All she can do is nod her head, her brain quickly trying to register his orders, not even bothering to wonder what would be so dangerous about Alderaan at night. Had they not played out in the dark when she had been here before?</i>
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                            <i>“Rey,” he speaks again, his hand reaching out and locking around her wrist, though the look in his eyes now seems more pleading, as if he is desperate for her to listen to him. “Promise me you won’t leave this house after dark.”</i>
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                            <i>She stares down at his hand around her wrist, then back up into his eyes that seem to be begging her to answer.</i>
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<p>
“<i>Please<i>.” 

</i></i></p><p>
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                                <i>Something in her heart aches sharply at his imploring words, as if something horrible depended on her response. </i>
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                                <i>“I promise,” she replies, her voice hardly above a whisper, but clear enough for him to hear. </i>
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                                <i>He doesn’t speak to her for the rest of supper. He just eats about half of what was put in front of him before raising from the table and marching right back off where he had come from. </i>
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                                <i>Rey can’t tell if everyone noticed Ben’s strange behavior, because she is soon lost within a whirlwind of her own jumbled thoughts.</i>
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                                <i>What had happened? Has she upset him? Had her pestering angered him while he had been trying to enjoy his supper? Perhaps her confession in the woods of how unsure she had been of this marriage has angered or offended him. </i>
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                                <i>She briefly wonders if he somehow found out her shameful secret, but that’s impossible. Something else is going on. And there is nothing she can do about it, whatever it is, because she truly knows very little about who her fiancé is. </i>
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                                <i>Rey stays up much later than she usually would have, mostly because she’s not too eager to go back up to that cellar of a bedroom and shiver the night away, only to wake up covered in sweat ten times in the night after a horrific nightmare. She’s sure more are waiting for her after the stress-filled evening she’s had. </i>
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                                <i>She ends up sitting in the tiny living room in front of the house, gazing blankly out the large window overlooking the front of the house, her book laying open in her lap, not even past the first page. Part of her feels as if she is waiting to see the woods morph into the monstrous, unholy thing that she pictured in her mind when Ben had told her not to go out at night. </i>
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                                <i>Hux goes up to bed on his own, and she sees each member of the staff finish up their work, then grab their coats and file out the door. They don’t see her, as she has curled herself up on the large sofa chair in the room she is sitting in, and letting the small candle on the table go out since she hadn’t really been reading anyway. </i>
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                                <i>After everyone has gone, the house is as quiet as a tomb. As much as she strains her ears, Rey can’t make out a sound coming from anywhere. Ben must still be around somewhere, she hadn’t seen him go upstairs to bed. And Poe hadn’t left, unless she had somehow missed him among the group of servants shuffling out of the house. </i>
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                                <i>She’s suddenly chilled by the haunting aura of the house, completely unlit aside from the moonlight shining in through what windows are open. </i>
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                                <i>For the first hour of the night, she sits stagnant in the tiny little room, trying to ignore how haunting the rest of the house seems to be, looming behind her. She’s almost afraid to move, to go and light the candle on the table beside her so she can at least attempt to read the book lying open before her. </i>
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                                <i>But an entirely different kind of light begins to flicker somewhere out, miles away from the house, that catches her attention. </i>
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                                <i>At first, as she watches the parade of tiny dots of light dancing around the outskirts of town and the edge of the forest, she thinks if perhaps the horrid dangers Ben had been warning her about are these small trickles of orange light, that begin to look like tiny flames, floating strangely about the treeline, like enormous fireflies. </i>
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                                <i>Rey is soon leaning out of the chair, her hands resting against the pane as her face inches closer to the glass, her eyes squinting to try and make out what the strange, dancing flames are prancing about in the night.</i>
                              </i>
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                                <i>“I see you’ve managed to hide yourself away from the servants.”</i>
                              </i>
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                                <i>The book slides off her lap and clatters loudly to the ground as Rey jumps completely out of the chair, whipping around at where the voice had come from incredibly close behind her, her fists curled defensively, as if ready to fight. </i>
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                                <i>She feels incredibly silly, but still a bit irritated when she sees it is only Poe Dameron standing behind her, looking completely amused by her reaction.</i>
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                                <i>“I wouldn’t be out of bed at this hour if you frighten so easily,” he laughs, walking closer until he is beside her at the window. </i>
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                                <i>“And why in the world would you go about frightening people who are sitting peacefully by themselves at this hour?” she accuses him, though unable to keep a harsh tone at his playful expression. </i>
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                              <i>
                                <i>“You’re the one who is supposed to be in bed,” he shrugs. “Don’t blame me that I am merely going about my usual business as I have done for years in this house.</i>
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                                <i>“And why is it I have a curfew and you do not?” she questions, her arms crossing over her chest as she glares at his eyes that seem to dance in the moonlight shining through the window. “I am no longer a child and don’t require a bed time.” </i>
                              </i>
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                              <i>
                                <i>“I don’t mean to suggest that you do,” he replies, chuckling a bit as he raises his hands defensively. </i>
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                                <i>Rey calms her agitated stance a bit, turning her head back to gaze out the window. </i>
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                                <i>“I can’t sleep up there,” she tells him, wondering if it is the late hour that has her so willing to share her troubles with a complete stranger. “Half the night I was freezing, and the other half I was being terrorized by nightmares.” </i>
                              </i>
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                                <i>Instead of laughing, teasing her about her childish fears, or scoffing at her materialistic discomfort, he nods his head, his eyes serious, at least a bit. </i>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>“I don’t imagine anyone does well on their first night in a strange place. Even if you have been here before, I suppose this particular visit holds a much… different meaning.”</i>
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                        </i>
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                                <i>Surprised at his words, Rey briefly looks back at him and nods her head in agreement. </i>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>“I’m sorry.”</i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
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                                <i>These words surprise her even more. Sorry? What could he have to be sorry for? He doesn’t even know her.</i>
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                                <i>Turning her head to glance back out at the strange, dancing lights, she begins to hear noise coming from far off in the woods as well.</i>
                              </i>
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                                <i>“What is that?” she asks, stepping back up closer to the window as she sees small figures now, running about the treeline. “Are those villagers?” </i>
                              </i>
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                                <i>As she looks closer, her mind finally recognizes that the tiny dots of orange light are coming from torches that the figures are holding. </i>
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                                <i>It takes her a moment to realize Poe has remained completely silent, so she turns back to him, and is shocked to see a deep frown on his face, his eyes cast slightly down with… worry?</i>
                              </i>
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                                <i>He quickly raises his eyes to meet hers again, and shakes his head slightly as if he were brushing something off. </i>
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                                <i>“You know, there is a fireplace in your rooms,” he tells her, beginning to back away from the window. “All you need to do is light it, and I’m sure that will take care of the problem. It can get icy as a tomb in this old house…”</i>
                              </i>
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                                <i>“Is something wrong?” she asks him, not moving from her place at the window. His expression freezes as she gazes at him in confusion. “Does that have something to do with why I am forbidden from venturing out of the house at night?” she asks, her voice raising a bit as she points out at the excitement going on, her finger just barely touching against the cool glass. </i>
                              </i>
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                                <i>Poe seems as if he is about to continue his inching away from the small room, but eventually has a deep look of resignation fall over his face, as if he knows he won’t be able to stave off her curiosity. </i>
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                                <i>“It’s mostly men from town,” he answers her, glancing out towards the commotion himself. “And yes, that is part of why you would be wise to stay indoors during the night.” </i>
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                                <i>“Why?” Rey breathes as she gazes at the men now spreading about the forest, torches in hand. An angry mob, by the looks of it. But what in the world could they be after? Alderaan has always been one of the most peaceful places she has heard of… </i>
                              </i>
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                              <i>
                                <i>“They are hunting the mad man who has been murdering villagers in the night for the past month.” </i>
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                                <i>He says it as if he really doesn’t want to, but has no way of making it sound any less horrifying than it is.  </i>
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                                <i>Rey can only stare at him with wide, terrified eyes, half hoping that he will burst out laughing, telling her the villagers are nothing more than a hunting party out to search for wild game, and nothing more.</i>
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                              <i>
                                <i>But he doesn’t laugh, or even crack a smile. And she can only stand there, stunned, as she turns back reluctantly to look out at the mob of villagers with their torches marching out deep into the woods.</i>
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                                <i>She thinks back to her nightmares. The horrid creatures that had been chasing her, clawing at her skin, the ghoulish figures wrapping their bony hands around her throat, her parents screaming… </i>
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                                <i>“Perhaps you’d better get to bed,” Poe tells her again. “It’s very late.”</i>
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                                <i>Rey wants to argue, but doesn’t this time.</i>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After making sure Rey had gone to bed, Poe re-checks the entire house, making sure every servant is gone, and there is not a door or window left unlocked. He had checked before, but the paranoia had grown, between both he and Ben, so double and triple checking has become a habit.</p>
<p>The air outside bites at his face as he pulls his coat around him, after locking the side door he had slipped out of and walking at a brisk pace along the grass to get to the path that will take him into town. The night has already been eventful enough without him having to join this hunting party, but he promised he would be here. Even if he really isn’t needed.</p>
<p>When he arrives at the makeshift camp set up on the outskirts of town, near the dreaded treeline of the forest, he is greeted by the usual leaders of the party, who greet him as they always have the past few nights: by arming him with a rifle and sending him in one of the directions they haven’t covered yet.</p>
<p>“We’ll get him soon,” one of the leaders huffs, glaring out into the dark abyss of the woods. “We’re onto him. He can’t evade us for long.”</p>
<p>Poe goes along with their orders at first, but once he is within the shadows of the forest, and the sounds of men arming themselves begin to fade away, he goes about his own plans. </p>
<p>Strapping the rifle to his back, he pulls out his own weapon: the pistol he had hidden in his coat filled with bullets made of silver. </p>
<p>Checking to make sure it’s loaded correctly, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach, Poe grabs his hand on the wood of the pistol, keeping it ready to fire, but lowering it to his side. </p>
<p>He knows he will use the weapon if it really comes down to it. There will be no other choice. Though, he wonders if he would be able to pull the trigger, aimed at the beast’s heart, if the burden ever should fall on him. </p>
<p>His goal from the first night he had come down here has always been to protect the creature at all costs, at least as much as he can. But he had promised that if he couldn’t stop the beast from attacking, from <i>killing<i> someone else, he would end it. </i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Leaning himself against a nearby tree, there is only about a minute or so of silence before he hears the sound he’s been waiting for.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>A howling, that echoes through the woods, far away at first, but Poe knows it will grow closer. He jumps forward, his ears straining as he tiptoes forward, hearing the sound of a couple of men stomping about through the greenery not far from him.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>One thing Poe would like to inform these men is that making such a ruckus marching about the woods as they do is not a productive method of staying hidden if they are wishing to creep up on something. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Sure enough, a howl rings out about ten feet closer through the trees, and Poe turns toward the direction of the sound, that is sure enough, close by to the two loud villagers. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It takes only a few seconds more until Poe hears shouting ring out across from him and the sound of a rifle going off. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He runs toward the direction of the shouting and gunfire, his pistol gripped in his hand as the fog eventually parts and shows the scene before him. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>One man is on the ground, holding his leg that has been torn into and is bleeding profusely. The other man has his rifle raised and smoking, his head turning this way and that, searching through the fog, no doubt trying to find the figure that had leaped out from the trees and attacked his partner.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“He’s inhuman!” the man shouts once he sees Poe emerge from the fog. “The pastor was right… this is the devil’s work!” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Shut up,” Poe hisses, raising his pistol slightly as he tries to listen for the heavy breath, the soft growl, the slightest creak of a branch that he has grown used to listening for. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His eyes catch the shadow of a figure hulking near one of the trees, standing on two legs, but hunched over, as if ready to pounce. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Get help,” Poe tells the man calmly, hearing the injured man groaning in pain on the ground. “Get him to safety. I’ll draw him off.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The man is probably staring at him as if he’s insane, but Poe doesn’t look back before running forward toward the creature waiting behind the tree. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>A roar shudders through the air as the creature jumps toward him, but Poe fires the pistol, the shot booming just past the pointed ear that comes into view.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The beast flinches back only momentarily while Poe dodges out of the way and charges off through the woods in the opposite direction of the two men, hearing the creature begin chasing after him, it’s heavy feet now thumping heavily against the soft ground of the forest, sending vibrations through the dirt floor. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Poe’s heart races in his chest, even as he tries to keep his calm, reminding himself he’s done this time and time again now. Still, when a murderous beast is chasing after you, it’s hard to keep your mind from imagining the worst of scenarios. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Grabbing onto the next tree trunk nearest to him, he swings himself around, aiming as steadily as he can at the charging creature and firing. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>This bullet lands in its arm and brings it to a halt.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He hears a whimper of pain from the shadowy beast now as it realizes the bullet Poe had fired into it isn’t healing immediately, as normal bullets always do. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Poe keeps himself carefully behind the tree, the pistol ready to fire again as the creature takes a step back, letting out a growl of frustration.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Go,” Poe orders, his voice loud and commanding as he raises the pistol threateningly again, hearing the nearby sound of men charging in their direction somewhere in the distance. “Get out of here.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The creature growls defiantly, but hangs back as it eyes the pistol in Poe’s hand. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Now!” Poe shouts, taking a brave step forward and jabbing the weapon towards the beast.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Giving him one last enraged growl, the creature rears back, howling at the sky, this time in defeat, before turning and leaping off back into the fog, deep into the first, leaving a trail of blood behind him that drips from its injury. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Poe waits as long as he dares, until he no longer hears the sound of the creature’s footsteps, before running off to meet the group of eager villagers who no doubt heard the commotion. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Sleeping was much easier the second night. Poe had helped her to light a fire in the fireplace in her bedroom which immediately took care of the cold problem, and she supposes it also gave her mind enough comfort to not have any gruesome nightmares either.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The only thing that had kept her awake for quite some time was the fact that she had once again heard the locking of the door once Poe had stepped out. This time of course, she knew it must have something to do with the ‘no leaving the house after dark’ rule. Because of the crazed man killing people in the woods. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She was sure that knowledge alone would be enough to send her off with a million more nightmares to be experienced, but perhaps her mind hadn’t truly taken it in, because she was asleep by midnight, and didn’t wake up once in the night. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Needless to say, Rey is in much brighter spirits this morning when coming down the staircase.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She had twisted her hair into her favorite style once again, leaving some strands curling down about ehr head. She had put on one of the gowns she had made specifically for coming here. A sky blue colored dress that had been covered by a material made of glittering lace. The bodice hugged tightly to her torso and the straps going over her shoulders were dotted with blue flowers.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Of course, she couldn’t show this part of the dress, given that it is improper to show one’s shoulders on a casual day like this. So she has to make do with fitting a shawl around her arms. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She even digs out her favorite shiny white slippers she had made long ago, but hardly worn, as she was convinced the shine would wear off if she walked around in them all the time. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey would like to think that one of her most precious skills is making clothes look much more expensive than they actually are. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Once she has descended the staircase, greeting a few servants passing by who bid her good morning, she leads herself to the dining room, the gentle aroma of breakfast already wafting toward the air at her before she can even open the double doors and step into the grand room. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>When she does just that however, she is startled to find only one place set on the entire, long wooden table.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The plate of food is before the only person seated in the room, at the head of the table, nearest to the doors Rey has just come bursting in through, quite loudly since the room is so jarringly silent. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Ben turns his head to look at her from where it had been resting in his palm. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She stands still, momentarily horrified, feeling as if she just barged in on something she wasn’t supposed to.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Good morning,” he finally speaks in his deep, resounding voice before she can begin her long and heartfelt apology for bursting in on his peaceful breakfast. “You certainly look as if you slept a lot better.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Her shoulders relax a bit as she takes him in.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“A lot better than you,” she replies before thinking. But she can’t help but be a bit concerned when looking at his appearance.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His hair is a mess, tangled and sticking out everywhere, his eyes look practically sunken in from the deep rings underneath them, and his clothes… well, it appears Rey had nothing to worry about when thinking to cover her shoulders, because Ben seems to have chosen to wear nothing but trousers and an undershirt.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>To her surprise, he does nothing but let out a lifeless chuckle, which sounds more like a sigh. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You’d be correct,” he answers her as he sits up straight from his previous position of hunching over the table and leaning on his arm. But he only lasts until Rey makes her way around the table to the spot beside him, before he just slumps back into the chair. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Are you sick?” she inquires as she takes the seat next to his, examining him closely as he closes his eyes and covers his forehead with his hand. She notices his food has remained completely untouched. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“No,” he responds after taking a while to answer. “I wish that was it though.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His hand lowers back down to the table, and Rey’s eyes widen in horror at the bright red staining his shirt.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You’re bleeding!” she informs him, alarm ringing her tone as she stands up instinctively from her chair and rushes to pull his sleeve away from his arm. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“It’s nothing,” he tells her quickly, immediately attempting to pull his arm away from her grasp. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Nothing?” Rey almost laughs while he tries to place his hand on his lap under the table. “That doesn’t look like nothing, Ben,” she continues, reaching down and grabbing his hand, bringing his arm back up so she can see. “What in the world did you do?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She pulls his sleeve completely away and feels her stomach lurch when she sees what’s underneath.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It looks as if he had tried digging through a spot on his arm with a knife. There are countless gashes along the skin, and a very halfhearted attempt at covering it up with gauze that is now soaked with blood. In the center of all the cuts, there seems to be an even deeper wound that Rey can’t even begin to wonder what the cause could have been. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Ben, this needs to be properly stitched up,” she tells him, her voice wavering a bit in worry as she gazes down at the extensive wound. “I have no idea what you could have done, but if this isn’t healed, it could get infected.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I know,” he promises, though his voice doesn’t sound nearly as urgent as hers. “I’ll fix it later, I just…”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“We’re fixing it now,” she informs him, taking his hand and beginning to step away from the table. “Come.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>After asking a nearby servant for some bandages and the correct ingredients for a cleaning solution, Rey takes Ben into the study and sits him down at a small table beside one of the windows. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Can I ask you something?” he speaks as she begins mixing up the small concoction she had created in the small bottle the servant had given her.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Not until you tell me why your arm looks as if you were trying to whittle a sculpture out of it,” she responds, kneeling down before him and wetting the small rag in her hand with the healing solution and gently dotting it on his bloodied arm that she had managed to wash off as much as she could, despite the profuse bleeding.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Her response is only half humorous, as she truly is very much concerned with what had happened.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“There was a splinter in my arm.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She pauses to slowly raise her eyes up towards him. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“That was a joke,” he clarifies when viewing her expression. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Well, aren’t you just full of joy today,” she replies humorlessly as she goes back to work, though she can’t help the smile that wants to spread over her lips, so she elects to keep her head down and her eyes focused on her work. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Where did you learn to do this?” he asks her as she meticulously goes about covering every incision on his arm with the soaked rag. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I told you, you have to answer my question first,” she reminds him, not breaking eye contact with her work. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I did,” he argues. “You never said I had to give an honest answer.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She rolls her eyes, but nevertheless feels her heart beat in delight at his sudden playfulness. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I believe that’s implied,” she tells him, though she finds she can’t really give a great argument to that. “I suppose next time I have to remember to be absolutely clear with you about everything.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Yes.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey breathes a hefty sigh of resignation, which makes Ben grin in triumph. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“In Ajan Kloss, women were expected to learn how to be healers,” she explains to him as she finishes dousing his wounds and picks up the bandages to begin properly binding them. “It’s some ancient idea of how women are the saviors who will heal all wounds and illnesses. Every girl learns how to tend to injuries and sickness by the time they turn thirteen.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It is silent for a moment while she wraps the bandages around his wound, already seeing the cuts beginning to look less irritated. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’ve never heard of that before,” he speaks as she begins pinning the bandages in place so they won’t come loose. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She looks up at him once she finishes and finds herself smiling as she gazes into his wondrous eyes. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You’ve not been yourself,” she says without thinking. “I mean… I know we don’t know each other very well, but… I can tell something’s troubling you.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His face sinks into that reserved place, the mask he puts on in front of everyone, the one he had only taken off with her in the woods, and just now a few moments ago. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You can tell me, Ben,” she pleads, both of her hands curling around his. “I’m going to be your wife someday soon. Husbands and wives are supposed to confide in each other, are they not?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>This gets him to look back into her eyes, and for the briefest second, Rey swears she sees something change in him. His mouth opens slightly and his eyes are alight with relief, as if he is about to tell her something he’s wanted to speak about for years.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>But it’s gone as soon as it had appeared.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“There’s been a lot of work lately,” he tells her, and she can immediately tell it’s a lie. “I’ve just been a bit stressed, that’s all.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His hand that she is holding in both of hers suddenly turns in her grasp, and his fingers interlock with hers. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You make the days infinitely more bright around here, Rey,” he tells her, his eyes smiling gently into hers. “Sometimes it feels as if you can take all my worries away.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>I could<i> she wants to tell him. </i>If you would just tell me what they are, I could…</i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Ben, I… last night at dinner…”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>She sees a horrible look of guilt and remembrance flicker across his face just by mentioning it, but she’s sure it can’t match the guilt she feels weighing her down. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I’m so sorry if I upset you,” she continues. “I understand what you meant now. Perhaps I should have remembered my place. This is not my home, and I shouldn’t go about assuming that I can go wherever I want whenever it pleases me-”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“This is your home, Rey,” Ben reminds her, halting her long apology she had practiced to herself all throughout last evening. She looks at him oddly, but there is nothing but assurance in his eyes. “This is our home. And I was incredibly rude to you at dinner and I have no way of explaining myself I’m afraid. So I’m the one who needs to be apologizing.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Rey doesn’t know what to say to that, so she just stares at him in confusion as he smiles warmly and places his other hand over hers. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“And, since it is daylight out now, and my mood seems to have improved… I was wondering if I might take you up on your offer now.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben feels as if countless amounts of stress have been lifted from his shoulders once he is back out in the woods again with Rey. The beguiling forest looks so enchanting in the daylight, that he nearly forgets about the horrors it brings him at night. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>They walk as they had before, though now it is much like it was when they were so much younger.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Rey seems to have suddenly found her playful spirit again, prancing about the forest in her flowing dress, chasing birds and insects, leaping over tree roots and laughing as if it were the most exciting thing.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Even when he first met her, Ben had always wondered how someone who has lived in a forest their entire life could be so enthralled by one. It’s as if everything she comes across is the most beautiful and exciting thing one could ever encounter. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He wonders if maybe that’s why she has that delightful glow about her. She no doubt spent most of her life surrounded by nature. He supposes that would do one’s soul a lot of good. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I’m very happy I didn’t offend you!” she calls back to him over her shoulder as she runs ahead of him, smiling brightly when she hears yet another chorus of birds fluttering out of the branches of the tall tree above her. “I don’t mean to be so pushy. Hux has always tried to tell me not to be too needy to a host, but of course, I throw all my manners out the window after the very first day.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“You are the farthest thing from needy, Rey,” he tells her, his voice much quieter than hers. “And you could never do a thing to offend me.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Careful with your words,” she laughs as she steps up on a crooked tree root, holding her arms out for balance as she walks along it. “I may do something horrendous at the ball coming up and embarrass you in front of all your friends.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I don’t have any friends.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“What? You’re one of the richest men in the world, you don’t- ah!”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Before Ben can even see what has happened, Rey’s feet are out from under her and she has collapsed onto the ground with quite a loud thump. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Are you alright?” he asks, leaping over to her in two strides, cursing himself for not being near enough to catch her. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>But her laughter continues to ring out, echoing through the trees as she throws her head back, her face scrunched up in the most infectious smile Ben has ever seen. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“See?” she giggles as she looks over at him, placing her gloved hands in his as he helps pull her back onto her feet. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>She gazes down at the ground, lifting her dress slightly to stare at her shoes, shaking her head.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Do you know how frightened I’ve been almost my entire life that I was going to ruin these someday? Now I’d completely forgotten I had them on, and look what happened.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben can see that the pair of incredibly shiny white slippers have become very smudged and smeared with a whole matter of things that make up the floor of the forest. Not to mention a few prominent scuff marks from her fall. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I can buy you new ones,” he suggests, not sure if she is actually upset or not. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>She just smiles, dropping her sparkly blue skirt back down and turning to continue her walk.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Not these ones,” she informs him. “I don’t think there is a cobbler in the world who makes them.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Before Ben can inform her that he has a personal cobbler who can make anything she likes, Rey stops in her tracks, gazing out at something ahead of them.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Is that the lake?” she asks, turning back to grin at him briefly before running forward, past the fog and towards the water.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He looks off to the familiar opening in the woods where the large lake runs, an enormous puddle of smooth water that looks almost completely white from all the fog hovering through the forest. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>They had come here once, on Rey’s second or third visit, and she had fallen straight into the water not five seconds after they’d found it.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Eighteen year old him had been horrified, assuming she didn’t know how to swim, and wondering how he was going to dive in after her and fish her out, but she had popped right back up, giggling away as if she hadn’t just given him a momentary heart attack. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Thankfully, she stays on land this time. Until she throws her slippers off and dips her feet into the ice cold water. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Are you scared?” he asks her after watching her wade around for a while, hanging back because he recalls Poe telling him something about how serious it is to take your shoes off and show your ankles around a woman. Then again, he wore nothing but his undershirt in front of her just an hour ago. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>And Poe likes to embellish things.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Scared?” she asks, staring down as she swirls her feet around in the water. “For what?”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“The ball.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Months before her arrival, a grand party was planned in order to introduce Rey to the people of Alderaan. Everyone wants to meet Lord Solo’s bride, seeing as she is about to become the richest woman in the land. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben feels overwhelmed himself about the entire thing, so he can’t imagine how she must be feeling about it, given all these people will be complete strangers to her. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Well… I suppose so,” she answers. “To be honest, I’m more scared for the wedding.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben didn’t even think about the wedding. The party is going to seem like a stroll in the park. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“This entire thing is overwhelming,” she goes on, sighing as she sits herself on the ground, leaning against her hands as she gazes out at the lake. “I just wish it could be just a normal engagement with a normal wedding and we could just be two normal people.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben moves over towards her, carefully seating himself down beside her.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I’m sorry,” she says, casting her eyes down at her feet. “I know that sounds selfish.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Well then maybe we’re both selfish. I can’t count how many times I wished I could have been born into a family from the village. Instead I got the gigantic house I don’t know how to fill and money I have no idea what to do with. And I’m sure every other man would be able to handle it much better than me.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He pauses for a moment, realizing how quickly he had suddenly begun speaking, wondering if she really wants to hear all of these troubles that are probably beyond her understanding.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Yet somehow I’m the one trusted to handle it,” he finishes quietly. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“You’ve done well so far,” Rey tells him without an inch of hesitation. “From what I can tell, anyway.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He turns to look at her, finding her staring straight back at him. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He hadn’t realized their faces were so close. But now that he’s staring at her, his eyes fall down to her slightly parted lips. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Her eyes go wide and he can hear her begin to breathe nervously. He feels his own heart begin to race in his chest as he realizes he’s never done this before, but couldn’t be more ready. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Before he can change his mind, he closes the inches between them until he feels his lips covering hers.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>She feels so small and delicate against him as he reaches his hand up to curl against her neck, trying desperately to restrain himself from touching more of her, having every inch of her body brushing against some part of him.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He’s never felt this way about anyone before, and it scares him at first, but he is suddenly reassured when he feels her smile against his kiss, before she leans forward into his hold, wrapping her arms around his waist, making him groan slightly in surprise as she deepens their kiss. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The moment lasts far too short in Ben’s opinion, and as they pull apart, he sees a shade of red suddenly go over Rey’s face.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I’m so sorry,” she sighs, sounding a bit horrified and out of breath. “I didn’t… Ben, I should have let you... I didn’t mean to…”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“It’s alright,” he assures her, welcoming the warm smile that spreads over his lips as he looks down at her. His bride. This woman he’s been growing to care for so much. “I liked it.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rey and Ben end up spending most of the day by the lake. Although there is significantly less talking then there had been the previous day.</p>
<p>After only about five or so minutes of it, Rey finds that kissing Ben feels like something she has known how to do her entire life. It’s as if her body knows exactly what to do, how to move, how to touch, and she’s simply along for the ride.</p>
<p>To be honest, she is quite surprised with herself. She can’t say she’s ever thought much about kissing anyone, and yet, after feeling Ben’s soft, plump lips caressing against hers, she never wants to stop. </p>
<p>The only reason they have to end up walking back to the house is because it is now a couple hours past noon, and they are both starving. Rey hadn’t even had breakfast, so she has no idea how she’s made it this long. </p>
<p>As they walk back through the maze of trees, down the path that will lead them back to the mansion, Ben casually holds her hand in his, and she moves herself close to him, as if they were a married couple already, strolling about the streets on their way back to their home. </p>
<p>“You know you’ve gotten me in big trouble,” he tells her as they begin to exit the thick cover of fog and step into the sunny weather the rest of Alderaan is drenched in. “Do you have any idea how much work I’ve missed today?”</p>
<p>“What work do you even <i>do?<i>” Rey asks, her voice as light as his, but deep curiosity ringing beneath it. “I’ve been wondering that for years. What does it mean to be a Lord? What are you even the Lord of?”</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Just the property I own,” he answers her. “Which happens to be the largest chunk of land anyone in the area owns. And the grand inheritance that has been passed down for generations. Therefore, I’m a Lord.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey thinks this over as they step out from the treeline and onto the clean little pathway that leads them along the enormous grass lawn towards the house. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Really, I don’t think the title means much anymore,” Ben tells her, shrugging slightly. “It’s an old term from an older time, but I think maybe some families still just like the sound of it.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Perhaps you can change your title to Prince,” Rey suggests. “You look more like a Prince than a Lord anyway.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>When she glances up at him, she is shocked, and pleased to see him turn a bit red. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I think a Prince would be much more handsome than I,” he tells her, his voice slightly quieter. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“A true Prince would not be the same handsome as everyone else,” she tells him. “His handsomeness would be so unmatched, there would be no one in the world who looked like him. And that’s what you are. Therefore, you resemble a Prince more than anyone else in the land.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He doesn’t answer her, but she sees his face turn a deeper shade of scarlet, making her smile to herself. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She had only been half teasing. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Before she can tell him this, movement coming from across the way suddenly catches her eye.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Her heart jumps in her throat when she realizes they had been too distracted to notice the dark figure currently hurtling its way towards them. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>For one horrible moment, she thinks it might be the madman who's been murdering people, miraculously out in the daylight now, but as the person runs closer, she sees it’s an older looking woman, dressed in rags. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Certainly not from around this area. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Ben follows her gaze, and they both begin backing away as she sprints toward them, Ben gently pushing Rey back, as if encouraging her to start running. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“<i>Devil!<i>” the woman screeches, making Rey jump as the word echoes through the empty plain. 

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>She gasps as the woman leaps directly toward Ben, as if she were trying to tackle him. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“You inhuman beast! You drink the blood of man! You eat the flesh of children!”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben holds her off easily, but she begins flailing about, her hands shooting out, scratching and clawing at his face, kicking at his ribs as she wails. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“You’re the devil!” she keeps screaming, while Rey frantically looks around for someone nearby. “I saw you! You are <i>satan!<i>”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Somebody help!” Rey screams out, desperately looking towards the house, which they should be close enough to that someone should have heard everything by now. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben is struggling to keep the woman off of him, trying to lean away as she claws at his face, flings her arms and legs, striking him wherever she can, her eyes red with anger and her teeth gritted in madness that seems to seep from her. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Before she can think it through clearly, Rey runs forward, her shoulder slamming into the woman’s chest as she wraps her arms around her waist.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She is shocked that she actually manages to pull the woman back a few feet. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Hey!” she hears a voice call out near them. “What’s going on here?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The woman is yanked away from her, and Rey slowly stands up straight, seeing Poe, and a few other servants from the house holding onto the woman as she continues her screaming and kicking. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“She came out of nowhere,” Rey breathes, shaking her head at Poe’s questioning gaze.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“God has marked you!” she growls, keeping her fiery gaze directed at Ben. “You will burn for your sins!”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Take her to the hospital,” Poe directs the small group of servants that has formed, restraining the crazed woman. “Snoke will know what to do.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>They drag her off, but her screaming continues to ring across the yard. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey turns back to Ben, looking him over to make sure he’s uninjured. But the look on his face sends a chill of dread through her stomach. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>His face is devoid of everything warm and joyful that had been there earlier when they were by the lake. He looks more like he did this morning, only worse. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>His skin is pale, his eyes have grown dark, his breathing is uneven. He looks as if he’s about to be sick.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Something in his expression strikes deep in Rey’s heart, and she moves forward, as if called by something, her hand reaching out to touch gently against his side.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Ben?” she asks quietly. “Are you alright?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She’s barely gotten the words out before he jerks sharply away from her and bounds off towards the house, not even giving a sideways glance of acknowledgement her way. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey watches him storm away, nearly running the entire way to the house. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Looking over at Poe, she finds nearly the same expression plastered on his face as well.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben decides to keep himself confined to his room for the rest of the day and all through the evening. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t step out and face everyone. Not after all of that.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>After the servants had dragged the woman away, he had run back to the house to his chambers and immediately retched for what felt like hours, even though he hardly had anything to eat today. When Poe had stopped by, suspecting why he had run off, Ben had just asked him to tell anyone who asked that he became ill. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>What had that woman seen? Where had she come from? </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He paces back and forth across his room for hours, his hands dragging through his hair, his breathing coming in ragged pants, as if he’d been sprinting across the yard for days. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>All the while, the sun gets lower and lower, as if taunting him that another hell-filled night is close. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Who will the woman talk to now? Will someone listen to her? Will they believe what she says? </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben turns back to the window for the hundredth time, dreading the shadow falling across the world around him, wondering how long it will take for the mob of villagers to come pounding at his door, ready to tear him to pieces. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He actually jumps when there is a small knock on his door, and he doesn’t answer for a while, wondering if he had just imagined it. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Ben?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The tender voice that rings out from the hallway certainly doesn’t belong to an enraged individual with a torch and a rifle, so he feels his heart ease a bit, though he now curses himself for not getting himself down to the cellar sooner, now that the moon is about to spill out from behind the clouds any second now. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He rushes toward the door, running a hand over his hair in a quick attempt to smooth it down, before he pulls the door open a few inches. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She’s standing out in the hallway with a candelabra in her hands. The flame sends a soft glow over her face, illuminating the silent beauty and innocence in her eyes and along her face. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I don’t mean to bother you,” she speaks, her eyes cast down away from his face, “but I just wanted to make sure you’re alright.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He opens his mouth to answer, but all he can do is stare at her. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Her hair has been pulled back into a kind of French twist with delicate strands hanging loose. She’s wearing a deep emerald shaded lace choker, and another one of the strange gowns she always seems to wear. This one is colored white, the same glittery fabric that the blue one she had on earlier was, except this one seems to be covered with a funny pattern of large circles. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>His stomach drops a bit when he notices she also has on silk evening gloves, and he suddenly realizes why she’s dressed the way she is.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“We were supposed to dine tonight,” he sighs, not knowing how one is to apologize to his fiancé for forgetting all about her. “Rey, I…”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Don’t worry yourself, Ben,” she replies, her lips turning up into a slight grin that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Nothing was really set in stone, I suppose. Honestly, I almost forgot about it myself until Hux reminded me.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She pauses for a moment, while Ben desperately tries to think of something to say to her to prove how much he cares about her, how important she is to him though he’s done so little to show it.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“But I suppose that’s to be expected when everyone else but us plans every detail of our engagement,” she adds, finally lifting her lovely eyes to look at him.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He offers her a warm grin, opening the door wider and stepping aside to let her walk in. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She sets her candelabra on one of the small tables in the sitting area. Ben is now very aware that the fair skin of her shoulder and back are completely exposed for the first time, being that she is in evening wear. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Did Poe not tell you where I was?” he asks her, feeling a sickening feeling at the thought of her sitting at the dining room table waiting for him until she must have decided he wasn’t going to show up. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I haven't seen him,” she shakes her head, turning to face him and awkwardly clasping her hands in front of her. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He sighs sharply, shaking his head in annoyance. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Leave it to Poe to always find some way to get distracted from what he’s supposed to be doing.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She doesn’t answer, keeping her eyes on the floor, or access the room, or anywhere that isn’t on him.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Well… I just wanted to make sure you were well,” she speaks formerly, beginning to back away towards the door. “I suppose I should be-”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Wait!” Ben stops her, his voice far too loud in the quiet room, making Rey startle a bit as she finally looks directly at him with wide, uncertain eyes. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben had felt a numbing calm go over the room when she had stepped through the door. The kind of calm that sent a wonderful sensation of peace through him. The kind of peace he feels only every so often on nights like these. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He can’t let her go. She can’t leave. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>But is it too dangerous? Is he wrong in this prediction? What if he can’t control himself?</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>It’s a horrible risk, but he knows what will happen once she leaves. The feeling will return, and the night will be hell, as it has been the past month.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Rey, I… if it’s not too much to ask… and only if you are comfortable… would you stay?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She stares at him unblinkingly for a while, and Ben worries he’s been far too forward. Perhaps he’s offended her. Or maybe she doesn’t know how to refuse him. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Stay?” she finally speaks, her voice sounding so delicate and innocent, and filling him with immense reassurance, and a feeling that heats his body in the darkened room, lit only by the few candles that send shadows stretching along the walls, and a glowing orange light across Rey’s lovely face. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I would like you to stay the night with me,” he offers, feeling his own voice becoming softer, more hesitant. “Only if that is what you desire as well.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He waits patiently for her declination, perhaps followed by an awkward goodnight and a hastening exit from the room. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Instead, her face broadens from the shy, shocked expression it had been in, her lips forming a smile as she seems to sigh to herself in surprise, either at his question or at her own response. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I think… I would like that very much, Ben,” she answers him.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Her voice suddenly sounds so mature, so sure of herself, and once again, Ben is amazed by the beautiful woman she has grown into, and even more amazed that she is to soon be his wife. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He is quick to make sure the door is locked before removing his coat and turning back to where Rey has stepped further into the room, stopping and turning back towards him once she is halfway to the bed, looking unsure of what to do next. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He has never done this before, and assumes she hasn’t either. He only knows what his body instinctually wants and, shamefully, what he has read and seen in a few quite explicit books that were sometimes passed around the school he went to when he was sixteen. He always assumed he would ask Poe what to do once he knew he was ready for this, since Poe has always been verbally open about the numerous people he’s had in his bed, or the beds he’s been into. But now, as he stands before Rey, and she is staring up at him with large, alluring hazel colored eyes, he knows this is something he wants to be shared only between himself and her. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Circling his arms around her waist, he begins by kissing her as he had by the lake. She leans in eagerly, as this is something they both know well, and her lips massage against his tenderly, and once again, he feels everything drop away, relieving him of the horrible thoughts and feelings that have been gnawing at him for weeks now. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey’s arms gently wrap around him, and their bodies pull close together, fitting against each other comfortably, though Ben now begins to feel rather stifled by his clothes. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>After running his hands along the bare skin of her shoulders and neck, making her breath quicken, he feels along the fabric of her dress, finding the bindings holding it together at the top, and quickly begins undoing them. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The gown eventually falls to the floor, pooling around her ankles, and she is left standing in her undergarments, shivering slightly against him,</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He steps back to let her step out of the dress, and she pulls her gloves off as well while Ben tosses aside his shirt. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Her eyes linger on his bare chest as he moves back to her, putting his arms around her again to unlace her corset, which is already rather loosely tied, making him realize she must lace it up herself. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He’s not sure why the thought of that makes him smile. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben takes off her necklace and lays it on the table while Rey steps out of the rest of her clothes until she is completely bare before him. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He tries not to gape in awe at her beautiful petite form, her soft freckle spotted skin, but finds it incredibly difficult not to. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Once he steps closer to her again, she reaches her hands out, her fingers curling through his hair. He sighs contently as her hands tangle in his hair, running against his scalp while he reaches out to cup his hand against her cheek. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>His lips touch against hers again, his other hand pressing against her back, running down along her bare skin as her hands drop from his hair down to his pants. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben tries not to laugh as he watches her bite her lip in concentration while she unbuckles his trousers, no doubt unfamiliar with the garments as he had been with her corset. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Grinning to himself, he helps move the process along a bit quicker, yanking off his belt and eventually the rest of his clothes, tossing them aside. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>His hands reach down to grip her hips, and he lifts her off the ground before walking towards the bed.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She gasps, her arms and legs scrambling to circle around him tightly as he takes only three strides before laying her gently down on the top of the sheets, swinging his legs over her until his waist is pressed against hers, his face hovering just inches above her lips as she stares at him with wondrous, slightly fearful eyes. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Have you been with a man before?” he asks her, trying not to groan when he feels himself brush against her thigh. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“No,” she shakes her head. “Have… have you?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Have I been with a man?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“No!” she exclaims, her face turning bright red as he chuckles. “No, I meant… I didn’t mean-”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“No,” he answers her attempted question. “This is my first time as well.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She relaxes a bit, and he leans down to kiss against the side of her face, before trailing his lips down her neck, to her shoulders, along her collarbone. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He feels his arousal grow as she sighs softly against his kisses, her body shifting beneath him while his hand travels down her breasts, her stomach, and finally between her thighs. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The gentleman part of him feels a bit hesitant about using skills he only knows from a couple of sexual novels that were passed around at boarding school, but seeing Rey like this, naked on his bed and eager for every touch he gives her, Ben discovers he wants to do everything he can to make her feel better than she ever has before. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Stroking his fingers along her slit, he gently presses one finger inside her.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Her mouth opens in surprise, but she doesn’t tell him to stop, so he continues, changing his position so that his thumb rests over the sensitive spot near her opening, while he pushes a second finger into her wetness.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She tenses a bit, so he slows down, his thumb stroking her gently while he moves his fingers in and out of her, getting her used to the new sensation. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Once she has relaxed a bit, he curls his fingers upwards inside her, searching for the spot inside her that will supposedly give her the most pleasure. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Even he is surprised when she arches up off the bed, her hips delving upward as a long moan suddenly tears through her throat. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben continues rubbing his fingers at the spot in a circular motion, making her writhe now against the bed, each of her limbs seizing as he can practically hear her heart beating rhythmically against her chest. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She lets out a sound that makes his blood run hot through every inch of his body as she convulses around his fingers, her hips thrusting a bit against his hand as he rubs her through her climax. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Removing his hand from her, Ben shifts himself again until he is positioned at her entrance, Rey still out of breath beneath him. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Wait,” she stops him, both her hands shooting up to push against his chest.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He waits for a moment, watching her eyes flicker this way and that, as if she were trying to think of something to say. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I’ll go slow,” he promises, sensing her fear. “Do you still want this?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She’s silent for a moment, but her eyes glow as she looks up at him, and her hands move from his chest, going to wrap around his neck as she smiles, laughing breathlessly.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Yes.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben is as gentle as possible when he enters her, paying attention to the way Rey’s hands become tense against his neck, or if her face begins to contort in pain. He’s nervous at first, scared of hurting her, worried he won’t know how to please her, much less himself. He’s even uncomfortable at first when he begins experiencing pain of his own, as she is very tight around him.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>But at some point, it’s as if everything somehow falls into place. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>They look at each other as he moves inside her and the pain in her face subsides, nothing left but an indescribable feeling between them. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>They disappear, as Ben felt they had in the woods, only now is so much better. Nothing else exists except her, the rapture and blissful distraction she brings him. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He couldn’t be more happy that she is here. He couldn’t be more overjoyed that she chose to marry him, at great risk to herself. She could have remained safe and perfectly well off in her parents’ home, married someone from a place she knows well, and lived out the rest of her life there. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Yet, by some miracle, here she is with him. And he finds he doesn’t want to let her go.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Ben?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Yes?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Why did you agree to marry me?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He seems surprised by her question, and after a while of silence, he looks down at her, where she is still cradled in his arms. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I know it’s been arranged and all, but it could have been so easy for you to say no,” she says, leaning up to look at him, feeling her entire body begin to blush all over again when she sees his black, messy hair strewn across his face standing in stark contrast to his pale skin. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“That would have been quite a selfish thing for me to do without speaking with you first,” he acknowledges.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“There must have been times you thought of it,” she insists, reaching up to hold his hand that is draped lazily over her shoulder, his fingertips just brushing her bare breast. “Haven’t you ever… cared for another woman?” 	</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He seems to smirk, as if the question amuses him. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Not particularly,” he confesses. “Though there have been many that have… attempted.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Oh,” she chuckles, shoving her shoulder playfully against his chest. “Are there many women fawning over the rich and handsome Lord Solo?” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Well, it’s not exactly like that,” he shoves her back, returning her grin. “I’m sure they think my money is quite handsome, but I may as well be a simple means to an end.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Then who would you have married if I weren’t around?” she inquires, her tone and expression still high spirited, but she sees his face drop slightly once she asks the question. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“There wasn’t anyone else,” he replies matter of factly. “I wouldn’t have married anyone.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>It’s silent in the room as Rey struggles to come up with a reply to this obviously ridiculous answer.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“That’s not possible,” she sputters in disbelief while he laughs, raising his eyebrows at her.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Oh? And why not?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Well, you… don’t Lords have to get married? To make heirs and everything?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“This isn’t the Middle Ages.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I know, but… isn’t that what people like us do?” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I don’t want to get married because I want an heir to leave my fortune to. I want to get married because I’m in love with someone.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The words send Rey into silence, and far too afraid to ask the clear question that she wants to ask next. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Do you think you’ll change one day?” she inquires next, her eyes drifting away from him and staring across the room at nothing. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“What do you mean?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She takes a shaky breath, closing her eyes for a moment before deciding to continue.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You might not feel the same way about me in a few years,” she explains. “Doesn’t… doesn’t that happen to men sometimes?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Just to men?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“No, I mean powerful men. Rich men who marry women they think they’re in love with, but then they… move on.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Can’t that happen to anyone?” Ben points out. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Sure, but you only hear about it when it happens to women married to powerful men.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>It’s quiet again as they lie together, until he lets out a small sigh, rising from the bed and walking across the room, grabbing his trousers and undershirt on his way over to the desk. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey sits up, pulling the sheet off the bed around her as she follows Ben to the desk, gazing curiously at the papers he pulls from one of the drawers. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I suppose I should have given these to you tonight at dinner,” he starts, pushing the papers towards her. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She picks them up, scanning the miles of complicated and official looking words scattered on the yellowed paper. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“What is this?” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“They’re for you,” he answers, nodding down at them. “So you’re protected once we’re married.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Protected from what?” she questions, squinting at him in confusion. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“If anything… happens.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You mean… if you die or something?” she questions, feeling a sick drop in her stomach. She really doesn’t need to be thinking about anyone else in her life dying right now. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Yes,” he nods. “Or if… like you said, I do something to end the marriage. Or if you ever want to end the marriage.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Her first instinct is to ask him why she would ever want to do that, but another thought comes from her mouth first.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“That isn’t possible for me,” she informs him, not even taking the time to try and decipher the papers. “A woman can’t just-”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Now you can,” he assures her, his eyes completely serious. “I’ve spoken with my lawyers and all my bankers, and despite numerous warnings against it, I got them all to do exactly as I asked.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>As Rey looks closer at the papers, she begins to decipher exactly what they are.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Once we’re married, everything you own belongs to me, legally at least,” Ben explains, something Rey is already quite aware of. “But once you and I sign those, you will be free to own what is rightfully yours. With or without me.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Her mouth hangs open in shock as she turns through all the papers, her heart racing madly. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“But… I don’t understand, I thought I wasn’t allowed-”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You aren’t allowed without your husband’s permission,” he nods. “But that gives you my permission. My permission to work if you desire, to own your share of money and possessions, and even to leave me without any consequences. That is, if I do become this selfish, cruel man you are afraid I might turn into.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She looks up at him apologetically at this, but she sees no venom in his eyes. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Ben… I don’t know what to say.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You will of course be free to have a lawyer of your choosing look over everything before you agree to anything. I’m sure if you tell them who you are, someone will agree to meet with-”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“But how is this legal?” she interrupts, unable to believe that any of this is true, given the things she has been taught about the world. “I mean, you can’t just change the laws.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He seems to grin humorlessly to himself as he leans back in the chair in front of the desk. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I guess that’s one good thing I’ve found in being the richest man in Alderaan. I can get whatever I want.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey spends almost a full minute staring between him and papers now in her hands, her mind a jumble of words, gratitude, confusion, and overwhelm. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
If this is true… then this means she is <i>safe<i>. Whether she chooses to be with Ben, or if she should decide to take her life elsewhere, she is safe. This is something even her parents could never have hoped to give her. The freedom to be her own woman, with or without a husband.

</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>But right now, she can’t imagine being in the arms of anyone else than the man sitting before her. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Tears in her eyes, the papers drop back onto the desk as she collapses onto his lap, the sheet dropping to the floor as she throws her arms around him, and he hugs her back tightly.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The grand party thrown at the Solo mansion comes much sooner than either Rey or Ben are prepared for. </p>
<p>But the week has gone so well, Rey feels prepared for anything. So much so, that she isn’t even the slightest bit nervous when she and Ben step out into the ballroom for the first time once all the guests are accounted for. </p>
<p>The waves of stares from seemingly hundreds of people dressed to show their status and wealth would have made Rey absolutely sick to her stomach a couple of days ago. Despite her own status back home, Ajan Kloss wasn’t nearly big enough to house so many important guests in one place.</p>
<p>But tonight, she feels nothing but a child-like excitement, stepping onto the smooth marble floors as she grips Ben’s arm in one hand and holds her skirt in the other. </p>
<p>She has chosen the fanciest gown she owns, and no doubt the one that will turn the most heads. </p>
<p>The bodice and satin skirt are both dyed a striking shade of purple, with a layer of sparkles decorating the bodice, and a pair of matching silk gloves covering her arms. </p>
<p>Her hair has been swept up into a style completely unknown to her, something the servants had helped her with, and her favorite white slippers that she had scrubbed off from their journey through the forest, are now shining proudly on her feet as she steps through the ballroom with her fiancé. </p>
<p>She can already detect some odd, and rather disgusted looks from a couple of nearby women, but tonight, Rey ignores them. </p>
<p>After they are, rather dramatically announced by Poe, Rey and Ben both take their place at the center of the dance floor, holding each other the proper way as they wait for the first waltz to start.</p>
<p>Having been given dance lessons most of her life, this is also something Rey feels more than confident in.</p>
<p>She assumes Ben would be too, given that people like she and him always receive lessons such as these in their youth, but once she sees the look in his eyes and the nervous, almost jagged way he moves once the music begins, Rey can tell he either never had such lessons, or he didn’t do very well in them. </p>
<p>He keeps up well enough, so he obviously at least knows the steps, but from the look of absolute terror and immense concentration on his face, it looks like a struggle. And from the way he conducts himself, Rey is surprised to find he is a bit of a clumsy dancer.</p>
<p>But instead of feeling angered or embarrassed, or even pitiful, she finds the vision of it makes her heart warm and an indescribably joyful smile spread over her face. </p>
<p>Something about him being an awful dancer makes him all the more desirable. </p>
<p>“Ben,” she whispers.</p>
<p>It takes a moment for him to be able to tear his eyes away from their feet. </p>
<p>“Rey, I’m-”</p>
<p>He lets out a startled gasp as she suddenly yanks him forward, twirling them both around as she laughs breathlessly. </p>
<p>She gazes into his eyes encouragingly, speaking to him. </p>
<p>
  <i>Don’t think about the steps<i> she tells him. </i>Just get lost in the music. In me.<i></i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She can tell it is quite difficult for him, but with a smile of thankfulness glinting in his eyes, he follows her advice.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He picks her up, spinning her around, lifting her off her feet as she holds onto his shoulders, and she throws her head back and laughs, butterflies fluttering through her stomach. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Without worrying about the proper steps or the audience of disapproving socialites watching them, Rey and Ben become entwined in that special place they go when they’re in the forest, or alone in bed. A place where no one can get to them, where no one gets to hear or see what they’re feeling. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey wishes she could say the ball continues to go as wondrous as the dancing had been, but things begin to take a turn for the worse before she’s even begun speaking with the guests for an entire five minutes. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>No one seems to want to hear from her much, so it seems, and at first, she can’t fathom why that would be. Every man and woman is cold, and almost suspicious towards her. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“And… how <i>exactly<i> did you come to be out here, Miss?” one of the men asks her, holding his glass of champagne as if it were an important prop, his squinted eyes looking over the glass at her. 

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“My family used to visit here all the time,” she answers, happy that at least someone has finally directed a question at her. “My parents knew the Solo’s quite well-”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“How in the world would your family have known the Solos?” another man cuts in, a flabbergasted look on his face, as if he were listening to a tale being told by a particularly imaginative child. “Aren’t you from somewhere out in the forest?” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Yes, I-”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“So how would someone like you manage to get yourself engaged to a person from Alderaan?” the man continues, his voice sounding triumphant, as if he’d just beaten her in some secret mind game. “A man of great wealth, for that matter.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Surely a family such as yours would have great difficulty getting you in with a family of this status,” another man cuts in, seemingly form out of nowhere. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I can’t seem to understand how a woman from somewhere so small would be able to get herself into such a… comfortable situation such as this…”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Rey suddenly finds herself incapable of defending herself further, her throat seeming to have completely closed up.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Her face is an embarrassing shade of red as she stands alone, surrounded by this group of men that is instantly much larger than she remembers it being when she had walked over here near the food table initially.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>They all stare at her with narrowed eyes and perfectly straightened and pressed suits and gloves, while she stands in her improper dress, listening to the cheerful music filling the background, wishing she could join the few couples still out on the dance floor.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Excuse me, Mr. Pryde,” a voice suddenly speaks out from behind her, making her whip around so fast, she almost bumps into the person who had walked up to the group.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben’s eyes are directed at one of the men who had been speaking to her, an intense look that seems to send a silent streak of fire towards the other man.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I do hope you aren’t insinuating something unspeakably offensive about my fiancé,” he speaks, his voice polite and proper, but with a flat tone that suggests he is moments away from changing his demeanor very quickly. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The group of men, who had just seconds ago looked much like vultures hovering around her, suddenly shrink back, looking more mousy as they gaze frightfully at Ben. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Of course not,” the man who had spoken last quickly replies, his posture straightening once again after his brief horrified interlude. “We were simply admiring your… most spectacularly chosen bride.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben steps forward, handing Rey the drink he had gone off to get, before standing beside her and placing an arm around her waist. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Of course, sir,” another man nods in a motion that looks more like a bow. “A most… interesting bride.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>As quickly as they had gathered, the group of important men are suddenly dispersed, off to separate corners of the room, to converse with whatever other fellow wealthy men are around. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben steps around to face her as she shakes her head at herself.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“They’re intimidated,” he tells her as she stares down at the drink in her hands. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“By me?” she almost laughs. “How frightening could I be?”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“You’re different,” he explains. “You’re not from around here. People are anxious about the whole matter.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Rey doesn’t say anything as she takes a sip from her drink, feeling a bitter, yet somewhat pleasant burn as the champagne goes down her throat. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Of course she knows how everyone feels. Ben being who he is, people would be quite suspicious if someone from a small, seemingly insignificant land were suddenly marrying him. A man like him is expected to marry someone to match his grand wealth, and more importantly, someone from around here. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>But if she had thought the men were bad, they seem like saints compared to the women. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>She thought someone would be sympathetic or at least kind towards her, but every woman who catches her eye seems to sneer, or look over her in mild disgust before turning away. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The men may have been rude with their questioning, but the women don’t even take the time to speak to her. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
As the night goes on, Rey feels herself losing the confidence she had strided in with. Despite Ben being right beside her every awkward step of the way, all she can feel are the hundreds of eyes on her. Judging <i>her<i>. Not Ben. Because there is nothing Ben has done wrong in their eyes.

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She sees Poe spending all of his time on the dance floor, and calculates that he’s gone through at least twelve different partners by now. Hux is keeping to himself, as always, standing off to the side of the room, turning his head slowly this way and that, scanning the room with his pointed gaze. Knowing him as she does, Rey assumes he is trying to determine who everyone is and how important they are so that he can explain it all to her later and why she’ll need to impress who and why. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She’s actually relieved once she manages to step away for a moment while Ben is occupied speaking with yet another group of men who had only acknowledged her briefly before slipping into a very boring conversation about politics, that even Ben looks a bit passive about. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She ends up taking refuge at one of the food tables, away from the crowd of people, hiding herself behind the group of men speaking with Ben while she makes her way to the unpopulated corner. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>After looking around several times, she confirms that there is finally no one staring towards her, so she begins to relax a little. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Young, Rey. Finding the party a bit too much?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey jumps at the voice, feeling her face grow hot for the fiftieth or so time tonight as she quickly brushes herself off from her improper demeanor as she turns to face whoever had followed her over here. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The man she turns to look at is horribly scarred. She is almost startled to see his mangled looking face smiling eerily back at her. His skin almost looks grey and marred, as if he’s been through a thousand lifetimes. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Pardon?” she asks, trying to sound polite even though her voice trembles a bit as she stares at the unsettling man.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I suppose you’ve realized by now that you don’t belong,” he continues, still with the disturbing grin on his face as he steps closer toward her.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>For a moment, Rey looks about the room, unsure if she might be seeing some kind of ghost. A ridiculous thought of course, but the man gives off an aura that is nothing short of haunting. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“The women are jealous of you and the men think you an opportunist,” the man discloses, creeping closer to her still while she takes a step back. “I imagine that is quite an uncomfortable situation for you and your fiancé…”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Growing a bit tired with the deception, Rey straightens herself again, tilting her chin up a bit with importance, as she’s seen other men’s wives doing.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You know my fiancé,” she states. “May I ask how?” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He seems amused by her inquiry, grinning to himself as he stares down at the array of food before them, and something about the gesture irritates her greatly. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“We’re close,” he answers cryptically, making her more frustrated. “At least closer than any of these other imbecilic fools he chooses to surround himself with.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She stares at him as he turns to briefly gaze over the crowd of people filling the ballroom, seeming to shake his head to himself. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey turns to look back over where Ben is standing with the group of men, nodding and speaking every now and then, but his eyes look as if they are thinking of absolutely anything else. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“He does seem to be rather uninterested with them,” she admits out loud before she can stop herself. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“He’s always been uninterested,” the man replies. “And he should be careful, don’t you think?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Careful?” she questions, looking back at him, her body still tensed at his proximity. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Yes,” the man nods, his beady eyes now seeming to gaze at Ben closely. “Someone so young is easy to manipulate in an environment such as this.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Ben is not that young,” she points out. “He’s been well into manhood for some time now.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Someone without guidance is younger than most,” the sinister man answers back, still keeping his eyes on Ben. “Quite easy for them to become lost among a sea of influential people…”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“And you’re someone who gives him that guidance?” Rey guesses as she studies him closely, trying to find some way to identify him. But the longer she stares at him, the more distressed she becomes. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Why are you here?” she asks him, suddenly becoming defensive even though she doesn’t know this man. “Did Ben invite you?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>When he turns to look at her now, the look in his eyes makes her stomach jolt. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Something horrible drips from his eyes. Evil. Something that seems to be directed at her, as if warning her off from something. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I would also be careful if I were you, my dear,” he speaks, his voice hushed, as if he wanted her to be clear that his words are for her, and for her only. “You are involving yourself in a very dangerous game.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She knows he wants to scare her, for whatever reason, but she’s had enough of these people trying to intimidate her. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Sir, I don’t know what you’re implying, but I don’t care much for your tone.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She attempts to sound as authoritative as possible, but it’s quite difficult when she’s never spoken in such a way to anyone before in her life.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The man looks unaffected by her warning, as if she hadn’t spoken at all. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Perhaps Solo was right to pick you for a wife,” he suddenly speaks, that cruel grin breaking out across his face again. “You seem to have some fight in you. I would never have guessed.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey stares at him in a mixture of fury and confusion, not knowing what to say to him next or how to process his words to her. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Before she can even think to ask what he means, he turns away swiftly while she feels a hand touch against her back.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Rey?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She whips around again, turning to see Ben now standing behind her, his hand placed lightly against her back, a look of concern in his eyes once he sees her bewildered expression. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Is everything alright?” he asks her, his eyes lifting curiously to where the man had been standing beside her at the table.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>But when she turns to follow his gaze, she sees that the man has whisked himself off by now, lost in the crowd of people in the ballroom. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Quickly painting a relaxed look on her face, Rey turns back to face Ben, reaching up to place her gloved hand against his arm in return.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Yes,” she smiles, not wanting to cause a scene. “I just needed a moment. Did you need something?” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>His eyes jumping from her to where the man had disappeared behind her, Ben slowly shakes his head. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Not exactly. But I think I need to get away for a moment too.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Out in the courtyard is like an entirely different world than inside.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>No one has apparently thought to come out here, leaving Rey and Ben in peace once they step outside into the slightly chilled evening air. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey gazes up at the cloud-filled sky, doused in pink and orange light as the sun begins to set behind the grand mountains off in the distance that surround all of Alderaan. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I never got to see the sky much back home,” she says as she walks about the stone yard while Ben sits at one of the benches. “The trees would always cover it. I remember my father would ask me if I could see the stars every time I came home and told them about all the trees I climbed. From then on, that’s all I’d look for.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Did you ever find them?” Ben asks. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“No,” she laughs softly, continuing to gaze up at the beautiful cloud smeared sky. “I could never climb high enough.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He laughs, but the sound of it makes Rey turn back to glance at him.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Once again, she sees something absent in his eyes as he sits on the bench. He looks strained, as if he’s trying to relax but there is something stopping him. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She goes to him, sitting beside him as she gives him a worried look. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Why were you talking to Snoke?” he suddenly asks before she can ask him why he looks so disheartened. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Who?” she asks instinctually, the name completely unfamiliar to her. But she quickly puts two and two together. “The man who came up to me?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He nods, turning to look at her with a careful gaze, as if he were unsure of what her answer will be, which makes her uneasy of how she should answer.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Who was he?” she queries before responding to his question. “He seemed to know you very well.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I’ve known him a while,” he confirms, still with that look of curiosity in his eyes. “He helped me after my parents died. He’s the head doctor at the local institution.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Institution?” Rey ponders aloud, shocked at learning a man as cold and harrowing as him could be any sort of physician. “Institution of what?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“The asylum,” he clarifies.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>That seems much more fitting. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“So he’s the one who will be looking after that woman from the other day?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben nods his head yes, while Rey desperately tries to think of a way to tell him of her weariness.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You’re close with him?” she questions, hoping he won’t notice her stalling. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He shrugs, his eyes finally dropping away from hers while a breeze suddenly chills through the air, making strands of his hair flick across his face and making her pull her shawl tighter around herself. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I suppose, out of everyone that tries to get their two sense in my ear, he’s the least pushy,” Ben answers. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s sort of a relief to talk to him. Because he’s the only one who actually listens, not focused on what he wants to suggest to me next.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey nods in understanding. She knows what it’s like to be lost and alone when the two people in the world who can give you the most guidance are suddenly gone. She can’t say how many times she longed for someone to simply offer her comfort, rather than tell her what she needs to do next. So who is she to place doubt in his mind about something she knows nothing about?</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“We were just talking,” she finally answers him, pushing all her worries and fears aside. “Not much, really. We didn’t even get to proper introductions.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He looks thoughtful at her response, but doesn’t say anything back. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>They sit in silence for a little bit, Rey placing her hand on top of Ben’s, hoping she can somehow comfort him that way. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She has much to learn in how a wife should be there for her husband, but she assumes she’s at least started in the right direction. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He suddenly turns to look at her, a small grin growing across his lips as he looks her over.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“What?” she asks, beginning to grin as well.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You have the oddest gowns I think I have ever seen,” he tells her, clasping his fingers around hers. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She blushes, beginning to laugh with him as she stares down, running her hand over her lavender colored skirt. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I make them myself,” she replies, looking up at him proudly. He keeps grinning, as if waiting for her to tell him that she’s joking, but his eyes soon widen.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“All of them?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Every single one,” she nods assertively. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>He laughs a bit in astonishment, making her chest flutter in excitement. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I didn’t know you could do that. Is that something they teach you in Ajan Kloss?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“No, my mother taught me,” she answers freely, suddenly excited to be sharing this with him. “It was her favorite thing to do, and she wanted to pass it onto her child, boy or girl.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Well she obviously had a very original style,” Ben observes.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“She was a dressmaker before she met my father. She owned her own shop, and she was the most popular gown maker in town. She put everyone else out of business.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Is that so? Sounds like she could have done just well without your father then.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“She could have,” Rey smiles in agreement, her heart warmed by the flood of fond memories that come forth when speaking of her mother. “She was incredibly well off when he met her, and it took her quite a while before she decided to leave it all behind.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She smiles at him, shrugging slightly.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I suppose that’s what falling in love does to you.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Well she obviously didn’t leave it all behind,” Ben points out. “She gave all her secrets to you. So in a way, it lives on, right?”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey grins, a small lump wanting to form in her throat before she pushes it away. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“And I suppose there are plenty of secrets that involve making these things,” he continues, lifting a bit of her satin skirt in his hand. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You have no idea,” she agrees. “There was all this special dye to make colors like this, all this purple and pink, colors that were unheard of in Jakku. And she found these fabrics that she could thin out to make them look far more expensive than they actually were. So women in our village who were poor, as most were, were able to afford these gorgeous, expensive looking gowns that would hardly cost them a thing.”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben nods, but something in his eyes suddenly flickers with confusion.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey stops for a moment, waiting for him to explain what he seems to be perplexed by, until she realizes her horrible mistake.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Our village?” he questions her previous words. “You lived there with your mother?” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Her face goes red as her heartbeat picks up. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Oh God… what have I done?</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I… I meant…”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I thought you said she lived there before she met your father,” he recalls as Rey suddenly moves away from him, her palms sweating through her gloves as her stomach lurches. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I’m… I…”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She can’t think of anything to defend herself. She’s finished. She had one thing to remember, one thing not to do, never to speak of… </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Are you alright?” he asks, reaching out to place his hand on her arm while she continues moving away from him, a look of horror on her face as she shakes her head, at a loss for words. “So… you were there with her, in Jakku, before she met your father…?” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I’m so sorry,” she manages out, her heart racing. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She's ruined it. She's ruined everything. Her one chance to do the only thing her parents wanted, and she's destroyed it.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Rey,” he speaks softly, concern now riddling his gaze as he keeps a firm grip on her arm, as if trying to stop her from running off. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>When she risks looking into his eyes, she sees understanding in them. She finds herself relaxing against her better judgement, even though she should be hurrying back inside and packing her things, ready to get on the next train out of Alderaan, and never return. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>But the look on Ben’s face isn’t anger or betrayal. So she holds back before running off. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“You can tell me, Rey,” he speaks, his tone serious, but comforting. “I’m going to be your husband. You don’t have to be afraid of me.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Maybe a part of her is tired of keeping this hidden. Tired of being ashamed. Or perhaps she figures there’s no turning back now.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I grew up there. In Jakku, with my mother. The dress shop was the only home I ever knew.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben moves closer to her, placing his other hand on top of hers. She stares down at their hands, her eyebrows knitting in confusion for a moment at his willingness to hear of this disgrace. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“My mother married my father seven years after I was born. He came into our shop one day, he was passing through on some kind of business dealing.” She stares straight ahead, at the array of planted shrubs decorating the courtyard. “It didn’t take long for him and my mother to fall in love after that.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She pauses, unable to look at Ben now, terrified of what all of this means for her, for both of them. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“So you’re not a Palpatine,” he concludes in a tone she can’t read. “At least, not by blood.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“No,” she sighs, surprised at how relieving it feels to admit it out loud. “I’m just a girl from the desert who happened upon some unbelievable luck.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She turns to look at him, ready to apologize profusely and ask what it is they do next, assuming it will begin with calling off the engagement. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Did you never know your real father?” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She shakes her head, closing her eyes in shame, horrified by how this story is not only painting her, but also her mother. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“All I know is that he was long gone by the time I was born. My mother never wanted to speak about him.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben doesn’t say anything for a while. But his hand soon reaches up towards her face, gently turning her to face him.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I’m sorry, Rey,” he tells her, his eyes somber. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She thinks he might be apologizing that he has to call off the marriage, but she gets a feeling, looking into his eyes, that that’s not what he’s trying to say. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“But your mother loved you,” he tells her with unflinching confidence. “And so did your father. Your real father.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“But he wasn’t my-”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“It doesn’t matter,” Ben shakes his head, his hand still touching warmly against her cheek while he grabs onto her hand with the other. “He was the only father you knew and the only father who cared for you. In my eyes, that means there is no question you are his daughter.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Her eyes wrinkle in confusion.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Ben, you don’t understand… I’m not who everyone thinks I am, I have no blood connection to the Palpatine family at all…”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>To her surprise, Ben laughs.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Rey, you’d be surprised how many secrets rich families keep to themselves. My father came from a poor family of thieves, and he would have grown up the same if he hadn't miraculously stumbled upon my mother.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Before Rey can answer, he leans forward and presses a firm kiss against her lips, his hand moving back to curl against her neck. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Very slowly, she feels her heart begin to calm, that horrible freezing in her blood begin to relax when she registers that the outrage and disgust she had always expected isn’t coming. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Rey,” Ben sighs, a lopsided grin on his face that makes her unable to repress a smile. “I could care less where you lived or who your parents are. You and I have been engaged for years. Nothing has to change that.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>To say that she is shocked would be inadequate. Instead, the feeling going through her is rather numb, as if she is in a dream she can’t believe is real.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I couldn’t be more happy that you’re here with me,” he tells her, his forehead touching against hers. “No matter where you came from.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She stares at him, her body still rigid, ready to run. But his touch eases her, begs her to relax against him, until he is holding her against his chest, and she finds herself holding back sobs of enormous relief. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Thank you,” she stutters out, unable to express to him what he has done for her. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben wishes he could spend the entire evening out in the courtyard with Rey. Or the entire night. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He’s hoping tonight can be like the other night he spent with her. When she had calmed him, instilled something in him that helped him get through the night that was supposed to have been filled with misery. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He almost thinks he can make it, spending a few blissful moments with Rey outside, keeping his eye on the sun as it sets all the way below the mountains, then watching for the moon that will surely unveil itself at any moment. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>But it is after they have stepped back inside the chandelier-lit ballroom that now glows with golden illumination with the absence of the evening light outside the many glass doors and windows, that he is brought back to reality. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Not having a feast with the ball perhaps wasn’t a great idea, since it has given everyone the grand opportunity to drink more and eat less. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Having been to his fair share of parties and balls, Ben is acute enough to know that things begin to fall apart for some of the wealthier men who feel more entitled to a larger number of glasses of wine and champagne. What he didn’t realize, is that things had begun their escalation in the time he had taken with Rey out in the courtyard. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He is already feeling overwhelmed as he tries nudging his way through dozens of women who are more than eager to see him alone after he had left Rey at one of the small tables to sit down while he went off to try and salvage something for her to eat from the various tables of bite sized items littering the corner of the room. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Just as he dodges out of the way of yet another grabbing woman with a determined gaze set in her eyes, Ben catches sight of one of the many fine-dressed men near where Rey is sitting waiting for him. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>At first, he thinks it’s just another snobbish, braggart coming to bother her like before, and that is enough to send his blood boiling, as he thought he had taken care of this problem hours ago. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>But as he approaches, his heartbeat accelerating with every step, he sees there is a look of apprehension on Rey’s face as she stares at the man speaking at her, and Ben quickly sees why when the man drunkenly swings his glass of wine about. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Intoxicated people set him on edge at any party, but something this time makes his vision go red for a reason he can’t determine. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>And seconds before he watches Rey jump up from the table in shock once the man places his hand roughly on her shoulder, Ben feels himself drop.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Normally, he would be able to rationalize that the man hadn’t meant to attack or harm her in any way, but Rey no doubt was startled beyond belief, given she probably has had little interaction with men who have had too much to drink. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>But in this moment, something else takes ahold of Ben entirely, and all he can feel is burning rage as instantly as a candle being blown out. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Dropping the plate he had been holding to the floor, he barely even hears it shatter as he runs forward, pushing the remaining people out of the way who had been blocking his path, his teeth gnashed in a growl as he lunges towards the man holding Rey.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>There are sharp gasps of shock and cries of surprise as Ben slams into the man, throwing him back against another table, sending the glasses and plates and any other objects clattering to the ground.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>The table itself nearly tips over as the man stumbles into it, dropping his overfilled glass to the floor. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“<i>Ben!<i>”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Seconds go by. The room has gone completely silent.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>It takes moments for Ben to recognize that his fists are closed around the man’s collar, his enraged face only inches from him. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>His breathing is heavy, his limbs shaking, sweat beginning to drip down his forehead.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Poe’s hands are on his arms, dragging him away as he tries to determine how long he had been in his daze, what he had done, said… </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>His eyes go to Rey as Poe pulls him off the man. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>She stands apart from the crowd, her hands frozen, almost to her mouth as if she were about to cover her face in terror.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>A deep fear rings through her eyes as she gazes upon him, as if she were looking at a monster. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Dread fills him, a horrible sinking feeling in his heart that makes him sick, that makes him feel as if he just destroyed something. In just one instant, he ruined everything.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>I’ve lost her<i> is all he can think as Poe begins dragging him away.

</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Why did he think he could keep this under control? Why did he think she would be able to help him? He just nearly killed a man in front of her, in just one second, without a second thought…. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>“Apologies, ladies and gentlemen,” he hears Poe calling out as he shuffles him towards the nearest door. “I think we can all agree there has been a bit too much alcohol tonight, so if you will excuse us both…”</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>No… Rey… I need to be with Rey…</i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>He wants to pull away from Poe, or speak, or do something, but all he can do is let himself be led away, feeling his entire body trembling, his breathing turning into panting as Poe shoves him into the hall.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“I told you this was too big a risk!” Poe hisses once the doors have closed behind them. “This should have ended the moment the sun went down, and you should have been in this damn house.”</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Ben shudders and grunts in pain as his bones begin to ring with the all too familiar ache.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“It’s too late now,” he gasps out. “Get me to the cellar.”</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
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                <i>
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                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Rey can do nothing but stare at him. Everything had happened so fast, she finds she can do nothing but stand still, frozen in place as she watches Ben hovering on top of the man who had stumbled up and grabbed her. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
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        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>That feeling she had before instantly melted into the sensation of being in a horrid nightmare.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>She had called out to him fearfully once he had pushed the man into the table, unsure of what he was about to do next.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Now, as they lock eyes briefly, there is a part of her that is hoping to see remorse, or fear in his face.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>But the snarl on his lips remains, as if he has suddenly turned into an entirely different person. The Ben Solo she had spoken with not moments ago outside seems to have vanished.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>That’s what makes her blood freeze, as Poe leaps in, pulling him away and calling out something about too much alcohol, though Rey can’t remember Ben having more than a couple sips of champagne. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
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          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>It takes only a few seconds for her to wrench herself from where her feet have planted into the ground, determinedly marching through the crowd that has slowly begun to disperse, rushing off this way and that to gather their things and leave quickly. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
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          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>She tries to keep her eyes on where Poe has led Ben out of the ballroom and into the hallway, but just as she sees the doors close behind them, someone steps in front of her and stops her in her tracks.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
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          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“Don’t,” Hux speaks, his voice low and stern as his eyes bore into hers. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>She steps back as his hand grabs her arm.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“I need to go to him,” she says, finding her voice again. “Something’s wrong-”</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“Go up to your room and stay there,” he commands, his voice far more demanding than it usually is. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>She gapes at him, unable to comprehend why he is acting so strange. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“Hux, you don’t-”</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“Do not go to him,” he orders, leaning toward her forcefully, his eyes suddenly growing furious. “Do you understand?”</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
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          <i>
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              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Too shocked and bewildered to question his rather unsettling attitude or to be angered that yet another person is ordering her about, she slowly steps back, and he releases her arm, but doesn’t move from his spot, still keeping his eyes focused on her, urging her to do as he had told her. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>She has no choice but to obey.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The “cellar” is the only name Ben and Poe could think of for the series of forgotten chambers down in the lowest level of the house, rooms not even the staff know about. Ben had discovered them once, long ago when he had boredly been perusing the house instead of working on his studies one evening, when he had stumbled upon the heavy wooden door embedded in the ground near the bookshelf in the library that led down to this forgotten section of the mansion. </p>
<p>The hallways have become so neglected over the possible generations that they have been left unattended, so a lantern is required whenever venturing down here. Which, over the past month, has been nearly every night for the two men journeying through the memorized corridors tonight. </p>
<p>Once making sure Ben was securely locked inside one of the rooms, the one they had created as a makeshift cell with a heavily chained door and a million padlocks, Poe had gone back up into the house to make sure the guests had all begun clearing out, and then the servants, and finally to make sure Hux and Rey were locked in their rooms. </p>
<p>Ben stares mindlessly through the small hole that looks as if it has been punched out of the stone wall as he waits anxiously for Poe to return, seeing only a hint of moonlight creeping down into the depths of the house that he’s in, probably from one of the large glass windows upstairs.</p>
<p>Sitting here alone like this in complete darkness, surrounded by nothing but dirt, rock, and no doubt a nest of whatever rodents and insects that have decided to take shelter down here would have disturbed him greatly some time ago. But he knows the most dangerous thing down here tonight is him. </p>
<p>It seems like hours before Poe returns, his footsteps pattering against the dirt from outside Ben’s cell, while he sits collapsed against the wall, the aching from before now fully spread all throughout his body, the beginnings of what will soon become unspeakable agony. </p>
<p>His ears listen carefully for the sound of Poe setting his lantern down with a small thud, and the jangling of the heavy chains being wrapped round and round the door handle, and the click of many many padlocks that have had to be replaced for the nineteenth time. </p>
<p>Ben knows none of it will work. It has never worked, locking himself up. Trying to keep himself buried down here until the night is through. The whole thing has become a pointless battle for him and Poe both, but they agreed some time ago, when this all started, that it would be even worse to give up at least trying.</p>
<p>Ben heaves himself up from the ground, stumbling forward towards the door before leaning against the wall, staring at the wooden door that quivers slightly against Poe’s desperate efforts to bolt and chain it closed. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” he mutters, knowing Poe can hear him from the other side of the inadequate barrier. “I thought I could have it under control tonight, but… you were right.”</p>
<p>“It’s not your fault, Ben,” Poe answers after briefly ceasing his efforts. “You didn’t ask for this and you’ve done nothing to deserve it. So for now, we simply must do our part in trying to prevent as much destruction as we can.”</p>
<p>Poe naturally has a lighthearted sense about him, but Ben is endlessly amazed by how he can make the most dire of things sound like nothing more than a problem that will be solved one day. Ben knows that this particular abomination is a bit more serious than a small obstacle, but in times such as these when he feels he desperately needs something, anything to give him the slightest bit of hope, Poe’s tone and choice of words does something to calm his heart greatly. </p>
<p>Knowing this about his closest friend was the reason Ben had decided to go to him immediately after the first night of this deplorable curse. </p>
<p>“Have you noticed anything?” Poe asks him as the clanging and clicking stops, signaling he has done all he can to lock the door. “Anything similar with the nights you’ve managed to keep it under control?” </p>
<p>Ben tries to focus on answering him, gritting his teeth in pain as a sharp jab of fire shoots through his bones. </p>
<p>“Rey,” he says, sighing sharply as his head rings painfully. “When I was with Rey, I… I don’t know, it felt different. It all went away. Before that… I don’t know.”</p>
<p>He does know. The other night he had somehow been able to stop himself from turning was the night he had gotten Rey’s letter informing him of her decision to go along with the engagement. But he had resolved that that was a simple matter of his mind somehow becoming too distracted to go about this cycle that has become the new normal. </p>
<p>“Well,” Poe speaks, sounding closer now, so Ben assumes he must be sitting in a similar position he is in, on the other side of the wall. “Perhaps you should spend more nights with her. At least if that seems to be helping you keep everything under control.” </p>
<p>“<i>No<i>,” Ben immediately protests, suppressing a groan as he shifts himself against the wall and in turn feels as if knives are dragging against his skin. “I was with her tonight and I couldn’t keep it under control. I’m not going to risk hurting her.”</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Of course he constantly fears about putting Rey in any danger. But really, what scares him more than anything is if she were to find out what he is. What he’s been turning into every night. If that were to happen, there will be nothing he can do. She would be on the first train home as fast as she could. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You never attack me,” Poe suddenly answers him. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Ben takes a moment to be pulled out from his agony once more, sensing this will be his last mercy of the night. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I mean you attack me of course, but… I don’t know, it’s like I’ve told you before. It feels like a part of you remembers who I am. I’m sure it would be like that with her.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Ben doesn’t have time to let that thought sink in when he suddenly feels a tearing ache in his spine that makes his head jerk back.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It always starts in his spine before slowly crawling over each and every one of his bones. It feels almost like a venom being poured through him that singes the marrow beneath his flesh, morphing his skeleton into that of something inhuman.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His screams echo loudly in the confinement of the small dirt covered cell as he collapses against the ground, hearing the sharp crack of his bones as they break and bend to reconstruct his human endoskeleton into one that resembles an animal. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It feels like hours of unmatched anguish, and before his bones have transformed, Ben can already feel his mind slipping away, deep down into the place he drops into, trapped in an impenetrable cage while this deranged consciousness takes over. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His skin is next, burning inside and out, as if flames are being dragged along his flesh, through his veins, wrapping around his cells. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His blood turns to acid and his skin rips and tears to make room for the new body taking over. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He rolls onto his back, feeling his nails tearing away from his fingers, elongating into sharp claws that tear their way out of his skin, sending small rivers of blood trickling down his hands. The bones in his fingers creak as they grow into large paws, and his feet soon follow. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>A rough, leathery shadow begins crawling over his skin, freezing his flesh to the toughened exterior of a beastly creature. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His claws dig into the ground, curling through the dirt as his screams transform into a horrid gurgling sound that eventually emerges into a growl, while black wiry hair grows across his new rough skin. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>More bones crack as his jaw breaks and extends, his face lengthening into a feral looking snout. Blood flows from his gums as sharpened teeth spear through his mouth, and his hair soon dissolves into the black fur covering all of his body while pointed ears form on either side of his head. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The creature rises to its feet, grunting heavily as it readjusts to its true form. Its head tilts up slightly, feeling the yearning ache to follow whatever is calling him outside of the pitiful cell it finds itself locked in every time it wakes up. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Turning towards the door, it lunges forward, claws sinking into the wood as it begins tearing its way out.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Poe takes a step back once he hears the creature collide against the door, nearly jolting it off its hinges on the first try. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He’s watched this exact scene countless times now, each time holding on to a bit of hope that his efforts to chain the door will hold up this time. But time and time again, it proves to be useless.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The beast growls in growing frustration as its claws and teeth jab at the wood, hitting nearly the same markings that have already been left from the times before. Once it gives up trying to chew its way through the wood, it starts shoving itself against the barrier, making Poe flinch when the padlocks suddenly fly off and the chains break in two. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He’s silent and still as he stands against the wall when the creature bounds out, standing on two legs when it first steps out into the hallway, but soon bounding off on all fours once it senses its desired destination and heads further down the hallway into the darkness, where he supposes it has discovered some tunnel that leads to the outside.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Poe has never been the religious type, but when watching his best friend morph into an unrecognizable creature that resembles something that has risen from hell itself, it makes him wonder. Monsters like these are only supposed to exist in children’s stories, yet here they are. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It’s a lot for even him to take in. And he can usually handle himself with a fairly clear head in most situations. But there’s only so much light heartedness and sensibility he can bring to his closest friend becoming a werewolf every night. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He doesn’t have time to wallow in his sorrows at the moment, so instead of remaining in his place backed up against the wall in the cellar, he turns and heads back up into the house to prepare for the night.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Kylo Ren<i>. That is the name the town has given it. This mysterious creature that has been terrorizing any unlucky villager lingering in the night. It’s unclear when the term had been implemented into Ben Solo’s brain enough to sink into the creature’s consciousness, but for some time now, the new name is how it thinks of itself. 

</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kylo’s instincts take him straight into the woods, as they usually do, seeing as he is able to conceal himself much better in the valley of trees and darkness that sweeps the forest. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He doesn’t stop until he is deep in the woods, shrouded in complete darkness that his sharp eyes can see through. He smells the distant scent of the torches they’ve been lighting every night. The men who come to hunt for him. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He takes his time when waiting for his prey. It’s easier now than it had been in the beginning, when he had to venture closer to the village to catch a few lone stragglers wandering on the outskirts of town. Now, in their haste to track him down, they have made themselves so much more vulnerable to him. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Now, he needn’t even leave the woods. They come right to him, like blind deer cluelessly stumbling into a lion’s den. Only these deer seem to have the hopelessly misplaced impression that they stand a chance fighting off their predator. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>There are enough of them every night to keep him satisfied sufficiently, but it has been so long since his last kill. Too long since his claws have broken that thin, useless human skin and his teeth have sunk into unwilling flesh. Too long since he has felt the thrilling splash of blood against his muzzle. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>But tonight, his luck may change. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>His ears pick up the sound of nearby voices in only a few moments of stalking through the maze of trees, waiting for an opportunity. It’s a quiet, yet distinctive sound that crawls through the forest towards him. The mutter of deep voices. The click of a gun. A rustle of fabric. A pattering of boots touching against the dirt. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kylo starts off running, the pads of all four of his feet hitting the ground as he leaps towards the sound coming from further down in the forest.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>As he gets closer, the wondrous scent hits him, confirming that there is at least more than one human waiting unknowingly for his attack. The smell filtering through his snout sends his blood pumping as he hurdles past the trees, his claws curling, aching to dig into fresh meat. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>His mouth waters as he gets closer, the taste of blood and flesh seeping onto his tongue, his fanged teeth burning to tear through the necks of each of the men who are coming closer and closer into his grasp.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Once he is able to spot the glow of a fire through the thick bundle of trees ahead, Kylo stops his rapid pace, raising up onto two feet as he narrows his eyes on the scene coming into view before him. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He steps carefully toward the light, his clawed feet hardly making a sound against the forest floor. He knows the flawed human ears won’t be able to pick up on him from this far away anyway. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>There are five of them. Two seated by the fire in the middle of the clearing they’ve set themselves up at, and three standing about the edges of the campout, holding those guns they always try to use on him. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He takes his time, stalking about the circle of prey, keeping himself hidden, just out of reach of the light, but close enough that he can still smell the sweet aroma of fearful blood running through the veins of the tense men. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>They don’t look to be in the same group that all the other men are a part of. They look less organized than the others, and Kylo gleefully determines this rogue group of men must have decided to break from their party and hunt down the beast themselves. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Something about that thought makes something like a grin spread across Kylo’s drooling mouth. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He can’t continue holding himself back for long. As much as it excites him to watch his prey, feeling how unaware and unguarded they are, his restraint can only last so long. Especially when it has been many nights since he has tasted the sweet savor of struggling human flesh. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He takes the man closest to him first, snatching him away quickly, so that the others don’t see at first. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>His claw is implanted in the man’s chest, puncturing his heart, and his jaw is locked over the man’s throat before his scream can alert the others. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>It doesn’t take long for the remaining four men to realize that one of them is missing, so Kylo can’t linger on the delicious victory of his first kill of the night for too long. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>They have readied their guns, all of them standing frozen, their eyes wide as their breathing halts, their ears straining to hear the distinct sound of a growl or huff of breath. But Kylo decides not to make it so easy for them, at least not this time. He’s deprived. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He lets them see this time when he grabs the next man, yanking him forward into the darkness, making his head snap back, his rifle dropping to the ground.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kylo can’t help but feel a bite of disappointment that the man’s neck had snapped before he could make his death truly agonizing.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He tosses the dead body aside, hearing more bones shatter as it collides roughly against a nearby tree.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Shots now ring out in his direction from the remaining three men. Kylo leans away from most of them, feeling one or two scrape against him, but they do as much damage as throwing a couple of rocks would do. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He emerges from the shadows, letting a growl rumble through his throat as he hums in delight at the taste of blood lingering on his fangs. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The man closest seems too shocked to fire his rifle, so it’s easy to shove his weapon away and grab him by the throat, bringing him forward and impaling him through the abdomen with his clawed fist.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>One man takes off running while the other fires away at the large creature holding his companion by the throat. But instead of hitting Kylo, the man shooting ends up firing bullets into the man currently being impaled through the torso. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kylo throws the mutilated man to the ground before pouncing on top of him, his teeth buried to the hilt in the man’s side not a second after his body had hit the ground. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Once he has had his fill digging through the remains of the freshly murdered body, Kylo is delightfully surprised to see the man who had been firing at him still remains standing in the same place, his rifle still aimed to shoot, though all the man does is stand and stare. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He’s seen this behavior from his victims before. It’s not nearly as exhilarating, but amuses him nonetheless. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The man still doesn’t move, even when the beast before him raises back onto two feet, towering above him as he moves forward and rears his paw back before colliding it against the side of the man’s neck, swiping his head clean off with ease. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kylo would like nothing more than to tear through this body as he had done the last, but his instincts are already turning him away, towards the man who had gone running into the woods. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He moves forward, away from the orange glow still emanating from the fire, his eyes briefly washing over a pile of supplies laid out near the edge of the camp. A net, a large hatchet, extra rifles, some hunting knives. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He carelessly swipes up a handful of the useless materials and tosses them back behind him as he exits the camp, hearing them land into the fire with a loud clunk.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The man hasn’t gotten far, and Kylo is much faster anyway. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The claws on his feet dig into the ground, propelling himself forward, the trees blurring past him as he stays just far enough away to allow the man before him to keep running, hearing the crackle of branches and the rustle of leaves as he stumbles about far less gracefully than the hungry beast behind him. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Feeling he has chased the man far enough into the woods to his liking, Kylo launches forward, digging his bladed nails into a nearby tree and crawling his way up until he is obscured by the leaves. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He leaps silently through the trees, hovering above the hunted man, twisting his way around the branches. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He waits, stilling his movements as he watches the man below come to a stop, jerking his head this way and that, no doubt thinking he’s lost the monstrous being in the maze of the forest. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kylo lowers himself inch by inch, unable to repress the growl of hunger in his throat as he inches closer and closer to the vulnerable man whose shoulders are beginning to relax as a wave of relief goes over him.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The man doesn’t see the figure leaping down from the trees until it is already on top of him and a set of sharp teeth have torn out his throat.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the sun rises the next morning, Ben finds himself shivering against the morning fog that feels as if it is licking at his skin. His entire body aches, partly from tensing against the cold, and also from the horrid position he finds himself in, his spine curled inward, his limbs wrapped around himself, huddling up as if he were trying to make himself as small as possible. </p>
<p>His joints creak as he forces himself from the painful position, his eyes opening slowly, taking in his surroundings as he shivers intensely from the cold. Once he pulls himself away from where he had been curled up, he sees that he had somehow wedged himself into a small hole in a tree stump. That’s why he feels bruised all over his body. </p>
<p>He collapses onto the ground as his body begins to feel more human, his bones clicking back into place as he takes numerous deep breaths.</p>
<p>The memories of last night slowly and painfully sink back into his mind, as they always do. His heart sears in remorse as he remembers the vivid details of the men he had hunted, torn to pieces, and devoured. Those poor men must have gone out there earlier in the day if they were that deep in the woods so early in the night. Poe hadn’t been able to get there first to stop him… </p>
<p>Ben lays on the ground, staring helplessly up into the trees where the sun is just started to shine through the array of leaves.</p>
<p>The moments he transforms, the moments he feels himself slip away and become an animal, the moments he kills without mercy… those don’t compare to these moments, when he returns back to himself. These are the worst.</p>
<p>Every time he lies and waits, praying for death. He doesn’t see why the devil shouldn’t carry him off after the most egregious sins he’s committed. This morning is no different. </p>
<p>But as usual, nothing comes. Nothing comes to punish him or to help him. As always, he couldn’t be more alone. </p>
<p>It takes time, but he eventually picks himself up, deciding that sitting and wallowing in self pity won’t get anyone anywhere. </p>
<p>Picking himself up, he tries not to look down at the tattered and no doubt bloody remains of his clothes that are clinging sadly to him. He supposes the miraculous return of the few shreds of clothes amount to fate allowing him at least a few shreds of dignity.</p>
<p>After stumbling his way through the woods for a couple of paces, he manages to get himself back out from the treeline and, thankfully, in front of his own property. </p>
<p>He feels horribly exposed like this, being in the state that he’s in, just strolling out from the woods out in the wide open. But there really isn’t a more subtle way to get back into the house. </p>
<p>So lost he is in his own numb self loathing that he stupidly doesn’t continuously keep a look out for anyone who might be out and about early this morning. That is how he nearly runs into Hux, who somehow appears as if out of thin air.</p>
<p>Ben can’t help but gasp in shock as he jumps back away from him, his body freezing as he stares in horror at the other man.</p>
<p>Hux stares at him, his mouth slightly open in a look of disgust as his eyes gaze over Ben’s rather disturbing state.</p>
<p>But other than slight surprise, Hux looks shockingly unquestioning at the vision before him. His eyes are steady as he straightens himself, and if anything, he looks as if he’s waiting to see what Ben will do next, rather than doing the rational thing and demanding what the hell is going on. </p>
<p>Before the man can come to his senses, Ben rushes around him and hurrries into the house, praying no one else is out to enjoy the crisp morning air. </p>
<p>It doesn’t take long for Poe to find him once he’s thrown himself into the house. It looks as if it will be mere moments before the servants arrive for the day and everything will be unlocked and opened once more, so Ben is rushed to his quarters before anyone can catch sight of him through the window. </p>
<p>“Poe,” he grunts painfully as he half limps into his room, feeling his body yearn for the comfort in his bed that he has had all too rarely lately. “This must stop. If we don’t find a cure soon…”</p>
<p>“I’ve told you every time, I’m doing everything I can,” Poe answers, closing and locking the doors behind them. “I’ve hired everyone I can to go out and look for the fortune teller and we’ve looked over practically every book and description of this side of the world that could help us. There’s nothing we can do Ben, until an answer presents itself.” </p>
<p>Ben grits his teeth as he stumbles into the bathroom, tearing away the last of his clothes, grateful to see the tub full of steaming warm water waiting for him. </p>
<p>He knows Poe is right. They can’t force a solution if there is none. And though Poe believes there must be some kind of answer out there, Ben is beginning to lose hope, deciding it may be best to accept that this is who he is now and how he will have to live. </p>
<p>But the thought of this makes his insides churn.</p>
<p>His teeth gnaw into his lip as he sinks down into the water, feeling it immediately soothe his aching limbs and send a wonderful numbing warmth over him that threatens to send him into tranquil unconsciousness.</p>
<p>“I can’t live like this anymore,” he speaks, his voice hardly above a whisper so he’s not sure if Poe can hear. </p>
<p>His eyelids grow heavy, his head tilting back to rest against the rim of the tub. </p>
<p>“If this goes on much longer, I’ll… I might…”</p>
<p>He is asleep before he can finish the awful thought.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The day is filled with a madness and paranoia that eats away at Ben like a disease growing unstoppably in his mind. He dare not come out of his room for the day, feeling his legs and hands shake anytime he gets close to the door and reaches for the handle.</p>
<p>
  <i>They know… they must.<i></i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He figures Hux must have told someone by now. And that someone might be smart enough to begin putting the pieces together. One of the servants perhaps who will begin to realize the master’s strange behavior began after these horrible killings began. A servant who would overhear Hux’s story about the master of the house lumbering out from the woods early in the morning, covered in blood and looking as if he had spent the night curled up in a tree stump.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Ben wonders briefly of Rey, of whether Hux had told her. He must have. That’s why he is here, to advise her, to aid her in this engagement. He’s no doubt told her something horribly suspicious is going on with her fiancé, something sinister and shameful, a reason for her to leave immediately, possibly without saying a thing to anyone.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Is she even still here? </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>No one comes to fetch him. No one comes to make sure he is alright. Poe knows he wants to be left alone, and Rey no doubt is terrified of him now. Terrified of what she had witnessed of him last night at the party and what Hux has probably told her. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
Maybe <i>she<i> has figured it out. That everything she has seen so far can only lead to one theory of who the gruesome, phantom murderer stalking the woods at night could be. 

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>After hours of these thoughts torturing his mind, Ben can’t stand sitting stagnant in this cage of a room. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Dressing himself in his coat and hat, he manages to step outside of his chambers into the hallway, thankful that no one seems to be populating this part of the house. Still, he is careful to keep himself as inconspicuous as possible as he moves himself to a side exit of the house, dreading that he will run into Rey or Hux on his way out. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>However, he sees absolutely no sign of Rey anywhere as he makes his escape. In fact, there seems to be alarmingly few people in the entire house. A few servants here and there and no one else. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The sight does not help to calm his nerves.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He had thought that being outside among the fresh air and among the dozens of people going to and fro about town would make him feel better, slightly more normal, but it has the exact opposite effect. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The news of his behavior at the party seems to have spread fast, even to the villagers. The stares he receives on every street he turns down only helps to fuel his paranoid state, as he waits for someone, anyone, to suddenly scream out in horror, pointing to him and naming him as the monstrous beast who has been killing them off. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He wonders if word of the woman who had come to his property, ranting and raving about him being the devil, has spread to the town as well. Surely some form of it has, since the hospital where she was supposedly sent to is very near here, only a few blocks down from where he is now. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Ben soon feels a heated anger curling through him as the eyes continue to stare, the whispers continue to circle around him as he finally arrives at the apothecary, which seems to peak people’s interests all the more. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He is short with the man in the shop, demanding the medicine he needs quickly, feeling the eyes peering in at him through the glass. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He orders something extra as well as the liquid that aids his sore body, purchasing something a bit more expensive and much more rare. A serum that dulls the senses, puts the mind at bay and the consciousness into a haze.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>This kind of medicine is not given freely, but for the coins Ben throws down to the man behind the counter, he can’t refuse. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Once he has what he needs, he storms back out into the streets, seeing a couple of people part quickly once he bounds unexpectedly out the door. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>His eyes stay straight ahead, his palm reaching into the pocket of his jacket to clutch the bottle containing the liquid he wants so badly to down right this moment, despite being quite improperly in public at the moment. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>But he waits, at least until he is out of sight of any of the villagers and away from the streets of town, back on the path to his own home, before taking out the small bottle and emptying every last drop of the expensive medicine into his mouth.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Rey stands as motionless as she possibly can while numerous servants flounder about her. She’s been standing on this pedestal from the moment she came downstairs until now, nearly five hours later, while seemingly everyone in the house fusses over her and her overly large wedding gown. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>She had always known wedding gowns to be white, at least where she comes from. But the gown that has been prepared for her is a light shade of pink and very royal looking. The skirt is made of actual fine silk, not the imposter material she makes all her dresses out of, so she already feels worried about moving in it for fear of somehow tearing or staining it, which will surely be a problem on the day of the wedding. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The rest of the gown is much heavier, almost like a cape going over the silk skirt, with a train that trails miles behind her. The pale pink material is covered in a pattern that glitters when she moves, sparkles that match the expensive looking necklace and earrings they gave her to wear. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The whole thing looks quite ridiculous on her, at least from her point of view gazing into the mirror, but it must have a different effect on everyone else, because the women can’t stop chattering in excitement, and the few men who pass through the room seem to nod in impressed approval. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“It will need some taking in around the waist,” one of the servants says, pulling at the bodice circling Rey’s torso. “But other than that, I think-”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Can’t we make it a bit shorter?” Rey asks hopefully, though her voice sounds much too quiet in the large room. She can’t keep her eyes off the train that seems to reach all the way to the back wall. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“You’ll be wed in the church,” Hux speaks from his corner of the room where he has been watching meticulously. “A long train is customary. After the ceremony, we can remove it if you wish.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“It’s removable?” she questions, the thought making her exponentially relieved. To be honest, as her practiced eyes look over the gown, she can imagine it looking much more suitable with just the skirt and the glittery bodice. Still a bit fancy for her taste, but much less overwhelming. Perhaps she could get some soft pink material to make gloves out of.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“How exciting this is, Miss Palpatine,” one of the servants fixing up her sleeves whispers to her. She is a bit younger than the rest of the servants, probably someone’s daughter taking up her family’s profession. “We need something like this in this town. Things have been far too dreary.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>One of the older women gives her a sharp look that she seems to miss. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“After everything that’s happened…”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Annie, enough,” the older woman hushes her, as if merely thinking about the matter is sacrilegious. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Did you hear what happened?” another woman speaks up loudly, much to the older woman’s dismay. “More men were killed just last night! An entire hunting group, completely dismembered, torn to shreds and-”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Hush!” the older woman exclaims, shuffling away from the group surrounding the pedestal, looking as if she’s about to cover her ears. “To speak of such things on a day like this is horrid luck.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I heard about that,” another more stoic looking woman working on the skirt of the gown continues, shaking her head in disapproval. “Nasty business. But at least the mystery’s been half solved. The authorities are positive it’s a wolf now.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Rey tries to keep her expression calm and focused, but she can’t help the slight gape of her lips and the turn of her eyes as the servants continue to gossip about things she will no doubt never hear from the people she is usually surrounded with. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I heard someone say it was a humanoid creature,” the younger servant adds. “You know… Kylo Ren, the grotesque phantom they’ve all been speaking of. Only he’s really a half wolf demon. That’s what the men in the hunting group are saying at least.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Rey glances in the mirror to look at Hux, interested to see his reaction. But where he was standing against the wall in the corner is now completely vacant. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“They say he is a demon sent from Hell itself,” the servant fixing her skirt speaks again, only she seems far less focused on the material. “He rises from the ground every night to take those who are damned.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“That is quite enough!” the disgruntled servant shouts out again, much louder this time so that everyone within the room quiets immediately. She glares around at everyone in outrage. “It is a most dreadful tragedy to speak of. But we most <i>certainly<i> aren’t going to discuss it so frivolously as if we were in our own quarters.”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Her eyes flicker over to look at Rey through the mirror.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“I am sorry, Miss,” she continues, bowing her head a bit, but her expression remains the same. “Don’t let any of this talk get to your head.” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Rey nods mechanically, her eyes set blankly. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Not let it get to her head? How could she not let murder get to her head? </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She wonders if perhaps she isn’t doing such a great job acquainting herself with her new home. Even still, she finds herself thinking of it as a place she is simply staying for a while, which is quite a silly thought to continue holding now that she is standing in a wedding gown. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>It never occurred to her to worry much about this monster killing people in the woods at night. Perhaps she thought to treat it like some fairytale meant to keep her in bed at a proper hour. It hadn’t sunk into her mind until just now, how real this creature is.</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Something is out there tearing people to shreds. A demon, some say. A wolf. A humanoid. Is that even possible? </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
There was always wildlife around Ajan Kloss. Being essentially one large forest, there was always bound to be a deer or something you’d pass by everyday. But never something like this. Never something that… <i>hunted<i> human life. 

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She suddenly feels a very deep chill creep through her, though she suppresses that shiver that wants to rip through her body, thinking it best not to embarrass herself in front of everyone in the room at the moment by having them all worrying over her. It sounds like the one servant is cross enough with the others by now. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She forces herself to push it away, not think about it now. There’s too much going on in her own world, in this very house that she has to worry about. Maybe that’s why she’s reluctant to acknowledge anything outside of her own immediate life. Nothing else feels real. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Rey is much more comfortable once she is able to change back into one of her own gowns, a much less heavy golden colored gown made out of the lovingly familiar imposter silk. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>It is late in the day now, and she’s not seen a sign on Ben. After last night, she thought it best to give him some space. Of course he would be overwhelmed by everything that’s been happening, the engagement, the fast approaching wedding, and all those intimidating people at the ball no doubt made it all worse. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>But more worry riddles through her now as she asks around to every servant she can find, only to hear that no one has seen Ben since last night. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She nearly becomes lost running about the house searching for him once she finds his room empty. But once she takes a moment to calm her mind and come to her senses, she remembers the library they had gone to when she had helped heal the wound on his arm. The room would surely be vacant, though with no one but servants in the house, she supposes most rooms would be unoccupied at this time. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>That is where she finds him, sitting in one of the chairs near the window, one hand placed on his lap, the other on the small table near him, clenched into a fist as his eyes gaze vacantly out the window. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Ben,” she sighs in relief before she can help herself, some part of her remembering that he probably came here not to be disturbed. “I’ve been searching for you…”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She slows as she approaches him, seeing how dazed his eyes look. Almost glassed over, as if he were deep asleep, but with his eyes wide open. The only sign that he is still conscious is the way his closed fist trembles on the table. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Ben?” she asks gently, kneeling beside the chair and placing a hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He doesn’t move at all. He gives no sign that he even heard her speak. His deadened eyes continue to stare out the glass before him. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Please, Ben,” she begs, stroking her hand along his arm. “I know something happened last night. You… you looked so angry, and I know you still might be, but… I want you to know that it’s ok. I’m not angry.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She hopes this will at least make him turn to look at her, perhaps out of surprise if anything, but he remains still as stone. It frightens her, even more than his violent behavior last night. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>A part of her wants to scream at him to move, to speak, to at least look at her, but she knows anger won’t achieve anything. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“You can talk to me,” she continues, her hand circling more securely around his wrist. “Haven’t we agreed to share in each other’s sorrow, carry each other’s burdens?”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Rey,” he speaks quietly, so quietly she might not have heard it if she hadn’t jumped to attention at the sight of his lips finally moving. “Please… leave…”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I’m not leaving,” she sighs in astonishment. “Ben, something is…”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“It isn’t… <i>working<i>…”

</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>His voice is strained, choked, as if something is filling his throat. Rey gazes at him in confusion, her eyes trailing down to where his fist is gripped on the table. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>It is now that she realizes there are drops of liquid on the mahogany wood, sprinkled around his hand. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She looks closely, seeing streaks of red beginning to drip down his hand onto the table, and before she can demand he open his hand, his fist raises and slams against the wooden table, making it jerk violently as Rey jumps back, hearing a faint crack and small pieces of glass fly out. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben’s bloodied hand lays on the table with the remains of what looks to be some kind of small vial, and suddenly, Rey is able to guess why his eyes look the way they do. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Ben, what did you do? Where did you get this?”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Leave.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Ben, please tell me what’s-”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“I said get out of here!” Ben’s voice cuts sharply as he jumps up from the chair, sending Rey tumbling back away from him, catching herself on the palms of her hands. “I don’t need your help! Get <i>out!<i>”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Rey scrambles away from him, rising to her feet quickly, nearly tripping over herself as she turns and runs from the room.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
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                    <i>Her fear and horror had sprung so fast and sudden that she is too shocked to cry, though the feeling throbs in her chest as she runs through the house, ignoring the few servants calling out to her, asking what had happened. </i>
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                    <i>Her throat closes and her chest rises and falls rapidly as if she were weeping, but her body is somehow locked as she runs, refusing to let the tears run down her face. </i>
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                    <i>She runs out the doors, not stopping to close them behind her, sprinting out into the open fields and not stopping until she’s reached the forest, deep past the treeline, out of sight from anyone. </i>
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                    <i>She ignores the sun that is preparing to set. She ignores the fears that had been put into her head. She keeps walking through the woods, feeling the roots tug at her feet, the branches pull at her dress, until she feels she has run miles into the deep trees, where she finally allows herself to sob.</i>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It takes everything Ben has in him to hold back what he knows is coming. He isn’t sure he can do it at first. Lord knows he tries every night to hold the transformation back. But something about tonight, knowing that Rey is out there somewhere, out in the woods completely alone and unprotected… something in him finds the strength to fight off the transformation. </p><p>He spends the night in his room, Poe at the door, praying that he’ll change his mind. Ben doesn’t know if it was maybe the drugs that helped hold it off, or maybe just the fact that he had fed well the previous night, but it’s a miracle that he makes it through this night. </p><p>He keeps picturing her. Alone, defenseless against him… that’s what keeps his mind focused. It was his fault she had run off. And he wasn’t about to be the reason she’s found ripped apart tomorrow morning. </p><p>Poe didn’t think he could make it. But the two of them are shocked when the sun rises the next morning, and Ben is still in his room, his arms clutched around the post of his bed so tightly, he can feel each dip and design of the furniture imprinted in the skin of his arms and chest. </p><p>It isn’t until he hears the chime of the morning church bells, solidifying the end of the night, that Ben unwinds himself from the bedpost and runs out the door, brushing past an amazed looking Poe, and not stopping until he is down the staircase and out the front doors. </p><p>He only makes it about halfway from the estate to the woods. </p><p>The group of men seem to come out of nowhere, at least six or seven of them, three of them dressed in uniforms, immediately identifying them as law men. The other half of them are dressed in odd black robes. </p><p>Ben slows until his feet are frozen against the ground while the group approaches him, all of them looking dead focused on him, their brisk pace unflinching. </p><p>“Ben Solo,” the man in uniform leading the group bellows as they stop before him. “Stay where you are. You are under arrest.”</p><p> </p><p>Rey is helpless as she watches from the treeline. She had stumbled her way back through the woods after spending the night by the river, unfeeling to the biting cold of the night as she huddled against a tree and mindlessly watched the water ripple along before her for hours, half expecting to see the cursed demon-wolf creature rise from somewhere across the river. </p><p>Once the sun had come up, she finally found the strength to stand, her tears feeling frozen against her face. It felt ridiculous now, what she had done. Foolishly running out here like an upset child, no doubt causing everyone to worry about her, with good reason since she was warned that people have been dying out here. She didn’t know what she would say, how she would apologize.</p><p>But before she could break through the trees and run to meet Ben, where she had seen him running towards her from the house, her legs stop her movement while she watches the scene before her. </p><p>She hadn’t been able to see the group of men through the trees where she was, but she sees them now, and so does Ben. He looks as confused as she feels, seeing the odd men, some dressed as officers and others in strange black attire. She has to lean in closer to be able to just pick up what they are saying. </p><p>“... don’t know what you mean,” she catches Ben speaking as he takes a couple steps back from the men who now look as if they are approaching him very slowly, like one would approach a wild animal. </p><p>“It’s over, Mr. Solo,” one of the policemen speaks in a firm, authoritative note. “We have witnesses, plenty of ‘em now.” </p><p>Ben looks dazed as he continues slowly backing away from the men. </p><p>“I… what do you…”</p><p>“Mr. Solo, you’re being charged with twelve counts of murder in the most brutal manner,” another one of the policemen says, even more forcefully than the other. </p><p>The men in the robes move towards him now, still saying nothing, but creeping past the policemen and circling where Ben is still slowly backing away. </p><p>“I have my orders that you are to be taken to the town sanatorium immediately. I suggest you come quietly sir. No reason to cause any more trouble for yourself.” </p><p>Ben seems too shocked to move, to reply, to push away from the hands that grab him and jerk him forward, away from the house and towards town.</p><p>Rey watches the entire time, her hands over her mouth in horror. </p><p>She knows she should run out from her hiding spot, throw herself in front of her fiancé, vouch for his innocence, declare how insane it is that anyone would think Ben Solo would ever be cruel enough to harm another living soul, especially in the way these victims have been gruesomely murdered.</p><p>But there is nothing she can do. Obviously these people have some sort of proof, or they wouldn’t have taken him off. And who would believe her, the wife of an accused murderer?</p><p>Is that what she is now? </p><p>No… no, he couldn’t be… the monster killing people in the woods is a demon, a wolf. That’s what the servants had said. </p><p>Her mind tries desperately to find the solutions, answer why it seems she has woken up to a horrible nightmare or strange new reality. </p><p>Somewhere, deep in her mind, she recognizes that some of it makes sense. Ben’s strange behavior ever since she’s arrived, his outburst last night that had made her run off, all the servants being rushed out of the house at an exact hour, she and Hux being locked in their chambers at night… </p><p>But still, all she can think of is the hours spent with Ben when she was a child, and now the blissful times they’d spent in the woods, their talk in the courtyard when he had been completely unshaken in accepting her revelation of her humble past, something she thought so shameful. She recalls his promise to let her live her own life, to keep what is hers and hold no power over her that most husbands relish in. She thinks of the entire night they had spent together, in his bed, she tangled in his arms, and he holding her with such care and tenderness.</p><p>A murderer couldn’t be capable of these things, she decides. A killer so brutal wouldn’t have a shred of kindness in his heart.</p><p> </p><p>Once Ben had been informed of his destination, he felt an odd string of relief in him. The horror of being caught at last, finally given away by whatever witnesses had seen him, whatever people the officers had talked to, almost vanished completely. </p><p>Even as he was dragged into the menacing building by the black robed men, hearing the eerie echo of screeching and sobbing reverberating back and forth along the stone walls, Ben holds onto the shred of hope in his heart that lingers. </p><p>Surely he will be brought before Snoke. Snoke sees to every new patient brought in. And he would most certainly be called in to examine the murderer that has finally been caught. </p><p>He would hold no cold judgement towards him, as everyone else who watched with shrewd eyes as he was dragged through town did. He was his friend. A mentor, sympathetic to him ever since his parents hadn’t returned from their journey to that manor in Dantooine. In fact, Ben figures that Snoke may even have a way to help him. Find a solution to rid him of this curse that has been plaguing him and the town for nearly two months now. </p><p>The policemen stop in the front office to speak with the staff, who all eye him in amazement as the robed men continue pulling him further into the building. </p><p>What gossip the town will have now that the famous Lord Solo has been named the wretched murderer and very publicly shoved into the town hospital. Ben bitterly thinks he can at least provide some entertainment now at family gatherings. </p><p>He is led down the hallway, through the corridors filled with bedchambers and examination rooms. As he sneaks a look through a few of the open doors, he sees they aren’t nearly as intimidating as one would picture them to be. In fact, the establishment looks no different than any other hospital where one would go to attend to physical needs rather than mental. </p><p>But as the men bring him further and further through the hospital, and Ben begins wondering just exactly how far down his room is going to be, he starts to realize the men restraining him are the only employees in the entire hospital that are not dressed in some form of the white uniform the rest of the staff are clothed in. If Ben is being honest, they don’t look much like hospital staff at all. </p><p>Getting a closer look at one of them by discreetly turning his head a bit, he can see a set of excitable, slightly crazed looking eyes under the dark hood that the man hadn’t removed, even though they were well indoors. It certainly isn’t the face of an employee of a sanatorium. </p><p>They go through some kind of heavy door, that Ben would have initially thought led into some spare closet. But instead, the door opens to an incredibly dark hallway that doesn’t even seem to be a part of the rest of the institution.</p><p>He has no idea how the men are able to see one foot ahead of themselves, as it seems they have ventured into a completely black abyss, but they continue walking confidently, yanking him along with them, until he finally sees a dull glow of light somewhere ahead. </p><p>The light ends up coming from an open door that leads into the only room that seems to be in this hallway. </p><p>As they walk towards the already opened door, their footsteps echoing through the vacant looking corridor, Ben wonders if perhaps this is where only the worst of the insane are put. Isolated, away from even the other patients. He then begins to worry if perhaps Snoke won’t see him at all, and that he will be stuck with these now sinister looking men. </p><p>He finds himself roughly shoved into the room, the hands grabbing his arms finally releasing him.</p><p>In the brief few seconds he has to look around, he can see the light had been coming in from the line of windows that sit along the wall, touching the ceiling of the room, giving Ben the impression that they are underground, much like the cellar he’s been locking himself in every night. </p><p>The only other thing he gets a look at is a rather uncomfortable looking metal chair sitting directly in the center of the room, looking most uninviting. </p><p>That’s all he can register before he is whipped around by a couple of pairs of hands that rip away his coat, suddenly making him aware of how ice cold this underground corridor is. </p><p>Two of the robed men shove him into the chair, and he grunts out in surprised pain when his back connects painfully with the unforgiving metal. He hears more footsteps resounding through the dark recess of the hidden passageway as the two men begin pulling extremely heavy straps around his arms, binding them to the arms of the chair. </p><p>Ben knows he shouldn’t be surprised at the treatment, seeing as there are only so many ways one would deal with an accused murderer, but he still feels as if he should offer up some sort of protest.</p><p>But as he feels the unrelenting straps yanked against his skin, tight enough against his arms to cut off the blood flow, across his chest, his legs, his ankles… his heart begins pounding as a cold chill of fear freezes his body more effectively than the restraints. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t speak an objection. </p><p>The men step away from him once he is secured, and the source of the footsteps is revealed. </p><p>Ben doesn’t know how to react as he watches Snoke step in through the open doorway. </p><p>The man looks completely passive as he enters, walking over to check on whatever equipment some of the robed men in the corner are working on. He doesn’t even glance at Ben once, as if he doesn’t even know he’s there. </p><p>He hears the men murmur something unintelligible to each other as his breathing picks up, though it’s quite difficult to get a proper breath when his chest is being compressed by a thick leather strap. </p><p>“Snoke?” he finally manages out, but his voice comes out hardly audible. The man moves back from the equipment he had been hovering by, stepping back to stand in front of him while the robed men begin moving about the room where Ben can’t see. </p><p>Even now, as Snoke’s eyes stare down at him from where he now towers above him, no one would ever think he was familiar with the man strapped to the chair before him. </p><p>“Mr. Solo,” Snoke finally speaks, his voice sounding familiar, but his tone implying something entirely different from the trusting, encouraging timbre Ben has grown to affiliate with the man. “We have several new tactics in this… <i>private<i> sector of our institution. I’m sure you will be unfamiliar with them.”</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Snoke,” Ben speaks, now slightly more affirmative in his tone as the fear ignites in him again. “I’m… it’s me. You know me, we’re-”</i>
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    <i>“You will be kept in solitary for the duration of your stay here,” Snoke continues, as if Ben hadn’t spoken, his expression remaining the same. “So as not to upset the other patients.”</i>
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    <i>His face finally changes, giving a small, sadistic grin, his eyes lighting up. Had they always been colored black? </i>
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  <i>
    <i>“I’m sure you realize we can’t have a deranged murderer strolling about the grounds freely. Imagine the excitement.”</i>
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    <i>Ben can only gape at him now, in confusion, fear, betrayal, he doesn’t know. The only thing that is clear to him now, is that he is the one to blame here. Why should he expect Snoke to show him kindness, forgiveness after all he’s done? </i>
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    <i>“I’m sorry,” he mutters, his voice lost behind the commotions of the men preparing whatever it is they are working at around him. “I tried… I never wanted to hurt anyone.” </i>
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    <i>“My staff will administer your treatment,” Snoke continues, with a tone of finality after giving the room one more glance over. “I will return to assure that everything is proceeding productively.” </i>
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    <i>With that, he turns on his heel and strolls out of the room, while one of the robed men comes up beside where Ben is staring off at the man dumbfoundedly, stabbing something into his arm. </i>
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    <i>Ben tries jerking away, but his body is practically welded to the chair, and he looks down to see that nothing had stabbed him, but another strap had been sharply bound around the top of his arm. </i>
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    <i>He looks around in confusion, trying to turn his head to see what the men had been doing behind him this whole time, and is shocked to see an incredibly complicated and large contraption had been set up, taking up almost all of the space in the rest of the room. It certainly hadn’t been there when they’d come in, so Ben figures it must have been somehow folded up in the corner before. </i>
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    <i>“This is relatively advanced technology, Lord Solo,” the man who had put the strap in his arm says as he continues pulling more straps around his other arm and along his legs. Ben notices the straps have strange wires coming from them. “But it should be effective in aiding in your… rehabilitation.”</i>
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    <i>The man sounds as if he’s smirking as he says it. </i>
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    <i>Ben is too focused on staring at the strange machine, his eyes trailing up to where the contraption seems to reach all the way up the walls, to the ceiling, its wiring attached to something unseen. He isn’t prepared for the horrifyingly painful shock that rips through him after the sound of a switch being turned echoes in the room. </i>
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    <i>Every fiber in his body jerks as it feels like fire is seizing through his muscles. He can’t even scream, as it feels as if his vocal chords have been paralyzed. </i>
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    <i>Another click and it suddenly stops. Ben is left gasping against the chair, his arms and legs contracting still even after the shock has stopped. </i>
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    <i>“I’d say this is promising,” he hears one of the men saying, chuckling with the other men. </i>
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    <i>Ben shakes as he tries to take a breath, his body arching away from the chair as much as he can, but it’s impossible to move against the restraints. </i>
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    <i>His head is suddenly yanked back, slamming against the rim of the metal chair, and he feels another strap go over his head, forcing his neck to remain bent back. </i>
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    <i>He begins tearing more vigorously against the restraints now, but it’s as useless as if he’d just remained still. He can’t get one inch of himself off the chair. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>The men say something he can’t hear, and the switch clicks again. </i>
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    <i>His body convulses again, as this time the buzzing throbs through his head, feeling as if it is licking at his brain. They leave it on this time for much longer, and his screams finally leave his throat, though he can’t hear them himself. </i>
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    <i>It goes on like this for hours with no rest. Ben begins to lose track of time as the intervals of not being electrocuted get shorter and shorter. His body seizes up until he can no longer move, even when the cruel machine is mercifully turned off. He begins to feel his heart beating irregularly, his fingers refusing to unclench, a dull buzzing inside his head that won’t go away. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>After a while, he decides to give up screaming and fighting, letting the current burn through his body without resistance. His body and mind thankfully become numb after he does this, and he lets himself become lost in a daze where he can at least find some sort of demented form of peace. </i>
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  </i>
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    <i>Ben doesn’t know how long he’s been here. At this point, it could be years for all he knows. Or cares. </i>
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    <i>All he does is lay in the cell they throw him in when he’s not being “treated”. They never take him back upstairs, out of whatever corridor they had brought him down. He’s started to think it’s just some basement they reconstructed just for his torment. </i>
  </i>
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  <i>
    <i>True to his word, Snoke does return every now and then. But Ben is far past trying to talk. Resigning himself to the seemingly endless new treatment methods the robed men have for him for twelve hours of the day makes it easier to get through. He becomes merely a passenger in his own body, fading in and out of consciousness. The idea of losing himself, allowing insanity to finally overtake his brain, used to frighten him at first. But now he yearns for it. Anything to take him away from the pain that somehow seems all the more worse than when he had been transforming every night into that wretched beast. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>The one solace he can take is that at least he can’t hurt anyone else in here. And perhaps, in some way, he is only receiving what he has been deserving of for some time now. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>He lies lifelessly against the cold stone wall of his cell, staring at nothing as usual. Thick chains keep his wrists and ankles bolted to the floor, but it’s not as if he would try to escape anyway. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>He doesn’t even stiffen in fear when he hears the door being unlocked, though he swears they haven’t made it through the night yet. But at this point, he’s not sure how to tell how much time has passed anyway. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>It takes a moment, while whoever entered simply stands before him, letting the door close, that Ben finally lifts his head to see who it is, the small part of his mind that has remained intact realizing that no one has grabbed him and yanked him out of the room yet. </i>
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    <i>There is only one figure standing before him, as opposed to the two that usually come to get him. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>“Things have certainly taken an interesting direction,” Snoke says as he stands in front of the door, staring down at him. “Believe me, this isn’t where I initially intended you to be. But there have been a few… recent complications.”</i>
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    <i>Something in Ben’s mind sparks again, just slightly, recalling that this was the man he had hoped would free him. The man who has treated him as nothing more than an interesting experiment for… how long has it been? </i>
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    <i>His eyebrows knit together in confusion as Snoke paces casually about the small room which only allows for a couple steps. </i>
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    <i>“You may continue pretending you’re too broken to understand,” Snoke tells him as he continues staring up at the man, his mind struggling to rise from it’s self induced slumber, trying to remember what he had wanted to say to this man. “But I know you’re listening.” </i>
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    <i>Ben tries to move himself, shifting around to stare at the man, the chains clinging onto him with a death grip, hardly allowing him to move even an inch. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>“I was surprised to see you didn’t immediately turn yourself in after your first night of killing. In fact, the next day I saw you, you seemed to be handling yourself quite well. I really am impressed you’ve made it this far.”</i>
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  <i>
    <i>His black eyes seem to lighten with sick pleasure as a grin spreads across his mouth.</i>
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  <i>
    <i>“I knew you would be perfect.” </i>
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    <i>Ben’s mind may have settled deep into some form of unconsciousness, but something else suddenly comes forward. </i>
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    <i>“You knew?” he asks, his voice hardly above a whisper, his throat burned dry after spending so many hours screaming. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>“Knew,” Snoke chuckles, as if something about the word were amusing. “It was my own work, young Solo.”</i>
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  <i>
    <i>It’s silent while Ben stares straight ahead, into nothing. He suddenly feels as if something is pressing down on his chest, or water is filling his lungs, or the oxygen has left the room. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>“I set this curse in motion long ago,” he continues as Ben’s vision starts swimming, his breathing becoming heavier. “And with much impressive results, I must say.” </i>
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<i>Is this a dream?</i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“You didn’t,” Ben replies, though his eyes are still concentrated away from the sinister man hovering above him. “There was… a woman.” <i>Yes, that was it.<i> “The gypsy woman, she-”</i></i></i>
      </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“You obviously don’t know much about black magic, young Solo, so I will forgive you for your incompetence. But would you really expect a practitioner of real dark magic to be parading themselves about at festivals, simply offering their secrets to the average villager who stumbles into their tent?” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Magic,” Ben mumbles, more to himself than to Snoke. </i>
          </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Though those silly little fortune tellers can be powerful vessels to harness. I imagine that poor woman got quite a shock when she read the curse I had placed upon you through her, yes?” </i>
          </i>
        </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>Ben finds his mind struggling to keep up with Snoke’s words, feeling a wave of conflicting emotions crashing through him, tearing at his heart as if talens had pierced his chest. </i>
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        </i>
      </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>The most confusing emotion he feels is the extreme irritation that he and Poe had spent hours upon hours looking through books, trying to track down the gypsy woman, wasting countless hours of stress, hopelessness and despair, all when the answer had quite literally been just down the street from them. </i>
          </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>But the clearest thing he feels is the anger. </i>
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        </i>
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</p><p>
“<i>Why?<i>” he asks, somehow feeling more forlorn now than he has the entire time he’s been here. He accepted a while ago that this man he thought he could trust was not his friend, at least not in here. But this is so much worse. “Why did you do this to me?” 

</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
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      <i>
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          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>The devilish grin is instantly wiped from Snoke’s face, and something so dark comes over his eyes, Ben feels a shiver go through him. </i>
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              <i>
                <i>“Perhaps it’s foolish of me to blame you,” Snoke says in a venomous tone, sounding as if he’s reminiscing to himself rather than addressing the man sitting in the corner of the cell. “But it is so much better to corrupt your enemy’s loved ones.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“There is no way for you to know this of course,” Snoke goes on, his hands clasped behind his back as he crosses to the other side of the tiny room, “but your family has caused me an unspeakable amount of trouble for many years. Long before you were even born. For the sake of a painful explanation, let us simply say, your parents and I have an extensive history.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“You said you were their friend…” Ben begins speaking, but realizes the answer to his own inquiry even before Snoke explains it.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Perhaps if you were a bit wiser, you would have realized I was never around you or your family when they were still living. Are you beginning to see why you are far more useful once you transform into a mindless animal?” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben is too consumed with his own thoughts to even think to be offended. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“I kept a close eye on your family in the years after they displaced me. At a distance of course, as you know. But I found my perfect opportunity sooner than expected.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He pauses, and Ben gets a horrible, sick feeling in the pit of his stomach at the sudden silence. He looks back up to see the amused grin back on Snoke’s face.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“It was all too easy to arrange the accidental slip Han and Leia Solo’s carriage took down the cliff into the ravine while they were on their way to Dantooine.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>An icy cold grip wraps itself around Ben’s entire body. The same feeling he had when he first received the news. Like Death itself was reaching for him, taunting him. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He feels himself shaking now as he looks back up at Snoke, yanking himself forward against his chains, feeling every muscle and bone in his body ache from hours of being cramped up against the wall. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Snoke seems unaffected by his useless effort. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“You give your trust far too easily, Solo,” he says as Ben continues to sneer ragefully at him, his teeth grinded together as he pulls against the unyielding shackles. “I mean, really. You knew hardly anything about me, and I had you ready to do anything I asked of you, simply because you felt you owed me.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben slumps against the wall, slamming his head back in frustration, a painful sob escaping his throat. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“You’ll be even easier to control eventually,” he continues, reaching into the pocket of his robes to retrieve something as he steps closer to Ben, kneeling in front of him. “</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>"Soon I will be able to break your mind completely. And then you will be nothing but a feral beast, ready to kill at my command.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben waits until Snoke gets close enough to him, seeing now that it is a familiar syringe that he is holding in his hand, before jutting forward, cracking his skull against his and sending the man tumbling back. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He’s not sure why he did it, especially once he feels his head throb in pain immediately after, but at least a small part of him is gleeful at seeing Snoke grimace in pain and vexation as he holds a hand to his slightly bleeding head. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He uses Snoke’s temporary distraction to make him a promise.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“The next time I turn, I’m going to kill you.”</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He’s surprised at the calmness his tone has taken, despite his raving thoughts and the fresh stabbing pain burning in his heart. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>There is a flare of outrage that splays through Snoke’s expression for just a moment, and Ben prepares for him to retaliate, to strike him or hollar some sadistic promise in return. But he simply straightens himself, wiping away the drip of blood trickling from his fresh wound, and going back to focusing on the syringe that had fallen from his hands.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“You had been cooperating with us so well,” he sighs, sounding like a school teacher disappointed in his students. “I didn’t think I would have to punish you.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He moves closer to him again, stabbing the needle directly into his neck, making Ben take a sharp breath, though his furious eyes never leave Snoke’s face. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Wolfbane,” he explains as he injects the liquid in the syringe into the vein he had stabbed it into. “I’m sure you’ve been wondering what’s been keeping you from transitioning in all your time here.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He laughs to himself as he pulls the needle out and turns toward the door, opening it to walk out, but turning back to face Ben one more time.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“As for that little outburst, it has given me an idea. I think the villagers would be very interested to know that your fiancé has been intimate with you.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>Ben freezes, his heart practically stopping in his chest, as for the first time in a dreadfully long amount of time, he remembers her.</i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
<i>Rey…</i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“Do you know what the decided punishment is for beastiality?” Snoke asks as he backs out into the hallway. “Once the gossip spreads about, she will be dragged into the streets and burned at the stake or drowned in the river.”</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
<i>Don’t listen<i> something inside Ben reminds him. </i>He’s lying… he’s trying to scare you.</i></p><p>
  <i></i>
</p><p>
  <i></i>
</p><p>
  <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>“Perhaps if you’re lucky enough, you’ll get to see it yourself. Should I allow you at least that?” </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>He laughs, the noise echoing briefly through the room until the slam of the door followed by a definitive lock cuts the sound off, leaving Ben alone, his throat too strangled to scream, or cry, or do anything.</i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Please, Hux!” Rey begs, following persistently behind the man as he continues on his determined path down the stairs from their chambers, pulling on his cloak as he goes. “I’ve tried everyday for the past week, and they won’t even let me see him!”</p>
<p>“Perhaps that’s best for you,” Hux replies, not slowing his pace. “You’ll only make it harder on yourself if you see him in that state. Believe me, seeing a murderer in a madhouse won’t do you any good in moving past all of this.” </p>
<p>“Move past it?” </p>
<p>Rey nearly stumbles down the remainder of the stairs. </p>
<p>She hasn’t seen her fiancé the entire week after he was dragged off from his own estate to be locked up in a hospital where they have refused to let anyone see him since, the only word anyone received being from the police who informed her that her husband to be was in fact the monster of the night that has been terrorizing the town for months. </p>
<p>And Hux is suggesting she merely <i>move on?<i></i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>An anger most vibrant now fuels her as she marches right alongside him as he heads toward the front doors of the house.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“If memory serves me correctly Hux, it was you who has been preparing my every word and action in order to convince the admirable Lord Solo that I am a suitable wife,” she hisses, her chest heaving maliciously. “Therefore, pardon me if I can’t instantly change my entire life plans and forget everything about the man I love simply because of these horrid rumors.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Well then now’s as good a time as any to learn.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“What is the matter with you?!” she exclaims, hoping her outburst will cause him to finally cease his movement, but he continues through the front doors, down the front stairs and out into the yard, making his way towards the path leading to town. “Hux, we can’t abandon him. I know he’s innocent, I’ve spent more time with him than you have. I know him, he could never do those horrendous things that creature in the woods is-”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Don’t you understand?!” Hux shouts, halting his footsteps and turning towards her with fire in his eyes, causing her to immediately come to a stop as well. “Your dear fiancé is the creature in the woods. He is insane. I saw him myself.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She can only stare at him, a million responses prepared for him of how wrong he is, but she can’t seem to speak any of them.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“What?” is all she gets out, shaky and much more meek than her previous tone had been. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I saw him,” he repeats, seeming to calm a bit, though his eyes are still irritably narrow. “Coming out of the woods the night after that last group of men were killed. I was the one that turned him in.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Now Rey remains completely silent, though her breaths practically come in quiet gasps. The world seems to tilt slightly, and she wonders briefly if she misheard or that Hux maybe misspoke. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Now, if you’ll allow me to go about my very tedious business of arranging passage for us back to Ajan Kloss, I would be much obliged-”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“How could you?” she speaks before Hux can walk off. He looks almost disgusted by her question.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Excuse me?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“What have you done?” she asks, looking at the man before her in horror. “What did you say to them to make them think…”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I told them only what I saw with my own eyes, Miss Palpatine,” he replies frustratedly. “Do you really think I would make anything up to ruin everything I’ve been working towards for the past year? Things weren’t supposed to end up like this, we were supposed-”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He quickly cuts himself off, his hands curling into fists as he stares at Rey with unmatched fury that she has never seen in him before, fury that he seems he has no idea what to do with. And if there’s one thing she knows about Armitage Hux, is that he is always in perfect control of himself. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Mr. Solo has quite enough people here to vouch for him,” he continues, seeming to have regained himself. “Mr. Dameron spends all his time with the police and the medical staff fighting to get him cleared of all charges being brought against him.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Mr. Dameron has left town, Hux. He’s gone to the city capital, to the courts, and you know as well as I do they will never listen to him, anymore than the people here have been listening to him or I.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Hux merely shrugs.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Then there really is nothing left for you here. And it would be wiser for you to-”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’m not leaving,” she tells him. “You do what you must, but I’m staying here.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His eyes snap up to hers, and she’s surprised to see a flicker of worry, of horror, in them that lasts for but a brief moment. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You’re a fool,” he answers. “Do you think you will not be affected by your fiancé’s crimes? If the police don’t suspect you and lock you up with him, then the villagers will surely choose to take their revenge out on you, since they can’t get to the source of their wrath.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“It doesn’t matter,” she shakes her head, having already realized the danger she is in the moment the police had taken Ben away. “He’s my fiancé, Hux. And I love him. If I don’t remain devoted to him, then he will have no one.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She doesn’t wait for his refusal or more of his reasons why this is the worst idea imaginable. She is content with staying by herself in this house if that’s what she has to do, or living on the streets if they throw her out. But she will not leave Ben alone. Not like this. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey turns and walks briskly back to the house, leaving Hux behind her and relieved to not hear his footsteps following after her. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>They don’t bring him out of the cell as often. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It’s nice at first. He’s relieved not to be tortured by whatever new modern device they have in store once he’s dragged from his cell and back into that room. But after a while, he wonders if this is simply another form of torture all together, designed to make him even more insane than he already feels he is. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It took him a while to realize it, but so much time begins to pass, and the door remains closed. Soon, they don’t take him out at all. The only thing that comes is the wolfbane injections and the poor excuses for food that one of the robed men throws at him every now and then. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He knows now they definitely aren’t hospital staff. They must be loyal only to Snoke. Followers maybe. People who yearn to know of his black magic. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He despised everything about Snoke’s last visit to him, but he couldn’t be more relieved that it happened. Aside from learning the truth about this curse and the reality behind his parents’ death, he was overwhelmed by the wave of comfort that remembering Rey had brought. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It feels so much better than it did before, sitting in here alone. It’s easy to hold onto her, to know she is still out there. He can’t quite recall when he had seen her last, but something in him knows she is still out there, waiting for him. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Soon, she’s all he thinks about, as he sinks deeper and deeper into some kind of dream state.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The walls around him begin to melt away. Dripping, as if someone were smearing paint away slowly, revealing an entirely different canvas underneath. He opens and closes his eyes, seeing a sharp white light fill the cell each time he looks again.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He can’t tell if he fell asleep, or something else, but the next time he opens his eyes, he sees he is no longer in the cramped cell.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He’s no longer chained down, though his body aches with the memory of it, and he is still slumped up against something, though it no longer feels like the wall of the cell in the hospital. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>His eyes finally adjust to the blinding light to see he is in the forest again. The forest by his home. Turning his head, he sees he is laying against one of the trees. In front of the lake. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He tries sitting up, but he can’t. It hurts too much. All he can do is stare out at the water that glows so bright, it looks as white as the mist hovering above it. Something moves in the water. In the middle, something ripples through the silky texture of the lake.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The mist clouds over something rising from the water, but he can see it looks like a person. Someone walking towards him, rising up through the water as if they were simply walking up a flight of stairs. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Once she steps up onto the ground, he can see her clearly. She looks a bit different than he remembers. More sure of herself. More mature. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The gown she wears is white, glittering slightly as she walks toward him. Her face is light, and beautiful, just as he remembers. How long has it been since he’s seen her? </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Warmth radiates from her as she approaches him, kneeling in front of where he remains lying still, though desperate to reach out towards her. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“<i>Ben<i>,” she smiles, reaching out to touch her hand against his head. 

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Rey,” he breathes, relishing her comforting touch. “I miss you.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“<i>You’re doing so well, my love<i>,” she tells him, the smile still on her face, though there is sadness in her eyes. “</i>I know you’re in pain<i>.” 

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>“Rey, I… I’m a murderer. I don’t know what to do…”</i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>She shakes her head, her smile not faltering for a second as her hand strokes through his hair. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“<i>You’re going to be alright, Ben<i>,” she promises. “</i>You just need to be strong for a little bit longer<i>.” 

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She moves to wrap her arms around him and pull him against her. He rests his head against her chest, closing his eyes and letting himself rest against her, feeling an insurmountable surge of peace, something that’s been so alien to him for so long. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>“Don’t go,” he pleads, thankful that he still feels her even after he’s closed his eyes. “Please stay with me.” </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“<i>I will for now<i>.”

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>He knows this isn’t real. But he can’t help but feel this hallucination, or vision, whatever it is, is trying to tell him something. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>It’s her. Rey will be his savior. She is the one that will help him break the curse.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>The time did finally come when Ben was drug out from his cell once more. It is almost overwhelming when the group of men suddenly come bounding into the room after leaving him isolated for so long. Ben is almost certain he’s dreaming, his mind concocting up some strange dream or nightmare as a result of his growing madness. But the hands that grip his wrists and his arms, pulling him roughly up from the ground he’d been sitting on for whoever knows how long, are the realest thing he’s felt in a while. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>One of them sticks a needle into his neck as usual, wasting no time to push every drop of liquid into his vein which suddenly feels a million times more painful than it usually does. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Snoke is here as well, waiting by the door as the men push Ben up into a standing position that makes his joints scream. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“We will be going before a panel of judges this evening, Mr. Solo,” Snoke explains to him in a rather cordial fashion while the men proceed to bind his arms behind his back. “They are well informed of your unfortunate delusions that you transform into a beastly creature to commit your crimes.”</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Ben forces his brain back into action and out of its dormant state, trying to think quickly in order to unravel whatever game Snoke seems to have made up for him now. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“Once you are brought before them, they plan on seeing nothing but a hopelessly insane man yelling nonsense about becoming a wolf in the night. Do you predict that is how this meeting will transpire?”</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>It takes only one horrid moment for Ben to decipher what this man is planning to do.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“No,” he pleads, his voice struggling to rise above the desiccated rasp it has been reduced to. “You can’t…”</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“Shall we?” Snoke announces, glancing briefly at the men in the room.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“Snoke!” Ben tries to shout as he’s suddenly pulled forward, out the door and into the abandoned hallway. “Snoke, you can’t do this! I’ll <i>kill them!<i>”

</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>The man just strides forward, back through the long corridor Ben had been brought down the day he arrived here. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
“<i>Stop!<i> Don’t do this!”

</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>He kicks and screams, his throat burning in protest as he does, but he can’t stop. He yanks himself in every direction in a desperate attempt to break free of the hands holding him, but they grip tighter than steel, and Ben’s strength has all but diminished in his hours spent laying motionless on the floor of a cell and in the endless amounts of torture that had drained any remaining energy left in him. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>A small part of him wants to cry in relief once the doors at the top of the pitch black stairwell are thrown open, and a wave of noise and movement from other human beings overwhelms his senses. He couldn’t be happier to see other people aside from Snoke and the inhuman black robed men. But the only thing he does is continue to scream and kick, praying one of the patients or staff will realize something is wrong and help him. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>But everyone takes one look at Snoke and seems to be satisfied that nothing is out of place. And Ben suddenly realizes how he must look, restrained by the owner of the sanatorium and his personal staff, thrashing about and wailing for help, that Snoke is the murderer, the madman, just as anyone in a hospital such as this would expect from a recently admitted, unsettled killer. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>His screaming comes to a brief halt when he’s brought outside, and his lungs automatically move to gasp at the fresh air. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>The men drag him to some sort of cart that he sometimes sees them transporting patients to the hospital in. They throw him inside, pinning him down when he tries leaping out again, now calling at the top of his lungs to anyone nearby, any villager close to the hospital. But of course, he’s sure anyone who does hear him will assume what everyone else thinks: that Ben Solo is a delusional psychopath who is soon to be brought to justice. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Ben’s throat is raw by the time they arrive at their destination, and he’s hauled up once more, brought out of the cage-like carriage, and shoved towards the large courthouse that he recognizes, having passed it by many times, this area of town being where most of the important buildings are. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>His feet scrap lazily against the floor as the men bring him through the side entrance of the building, Snoke going through the front, no doubt meeting with a few officials beforehand, mourning over Ben’s deeply troubled mental state.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>He waits in the dark for what feels like centuries, the men still holding him back, until finally, another set of doors creak open, and Ben is brought forward into a moderately sized circular room. His neck cranes as he looks up at the array of men dressed in sharp grey judge’s robes sitting in the rows up above the center of the room. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>The only other person standing on the marble floor is Snoke, who is positioned like a presenter of a prestigious demonstration, eager to please his curious audience. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“Snoke,” Ben speaks, his voce unable to raise high enough for any of the judges to hear him. “Please stop this.” </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“As you can see, my fine gentlemen,” Snoke’s voice booms out through the grand room, “here we have the murderer, brought before the court. Once again, I would like to remind you that he has been under my care, receiving the most intense and advanced treatment in an attempt to retrieve an inkling of his sanity.” </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Ben is shoved onto his knees, between a set of two thick steel poles that rise from the ground, up slightly past his head. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“Very well, Mr. Snoke,” one of the men sitting in the audience declares, raising up a set of papers before his eyes while the men behind Ben begin to untie his arms. “As agreed, following this meeting, if the court is satisfied with your overall assessment of Benjamin Chewbacca Solo, the patient will be permanently placed under your care for the time being for continued treatment.” </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Snoke bows his head graciously toward the man, but Ben sees the hint of a darkly excited grin in his face as he does.</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“Please, you have to listen to me!” Ben tries calling out as the men take his arms and chain them against the two poles on either side of him. “You have to leave, everyone has to get out of here now!”</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>He turns his head to glance out a window near the ceiling, seeing the clouds begin to unfurl, revealing a perfect circular moon, bright enough to feel as if it were gleaming mockingly in his eyes. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“As has been exemplified,” Snoke announces, stepping in front of him as he addresses the men before him, “Mr. Solo has intense fantasies of a second personality inside him. A wolf-like creature for whom he blames the murders of countless villagers.”</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“It was me!” Ben shouts, growling in pain as he feels the familiar burn begin to spread through him, all the more painful now that it has been so long since he felt it. “I confess! It was me, I killed them. I will kill all of you if you don’t leave!”</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“A quite vivid hallucination, if I must say,” Snoke continues as not a single man in the room seems affected or concerned at all about what the chained up lunatic is rambling about. “But I have been giving daily injections to Mr. Solo which have repressed his delirium. Tonight shall be the night we prove to our patient that there is no alternative monster living inside him. Only the sickness in his mind that has driven him to kill many helpless innocents in this town.”</i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>A couple of the men nod briefly as Ben screams in agony, the feeling of fire raging through his blood and veins, biting at his skin, breaking his bones. Even as he flails and thrashes about in his chains, no one seems particularly bothered. The ones who do look at him stare as if they are watching a child throwing a particularly nasty tantrum. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“Now is the time the patient believes the transformation will take place,” Snoke continues, taking a step back so that Ben is now the center of the bizarre exhibition. “As you can see, his condition is quite serious. So serious, that he imagines himself to be in considerable anguish as his… other half takes over, so to speak.” </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Ben is overwhelmed by the sensations attacking him now. He remembers his transition from man to beast being slow, tormenting, each and every nerve feeling like they were being slowly attacked and disintegrated one at a time. But tonight, it feels as if everything is happening at once. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Snoke turns his back toward the audience, moving as if to walk towards the back of the room, but he stops just briefly at Ben’s side to look down at him gleefully. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
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                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>“Your injection tonight was quite different, as you should know,” he whispers so only Ben can hear. “A little something to speed things along for you. You may thank me later.”</i>
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                            <i>Ben roars in pain as Snoke walks off toward the back of the room, placing himself discreetly near the doors while everyone watches intently at the man groaning and twisting in his chains in the middle of the courtroom. </i>
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                            <i>His skin cracks and begins to harden into a thick, leather like surface. His nails lengthen into claws. His jaw breaks and reforms into a long snout, his teeth sharpen into drooling fangs. </i>
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                            <i>He tries to cry out, to tell the men to run, but his vocal chords strain and alter, changing his voice into nothing but menacing howls. </i>
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                            <i>Black fur coats his body. His bones snap and bend to form into the body of a wolf. </i>
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                            <i>Ben feels his consciousness slipping as the feral mind takes over, staring helplessly at the large group of horrified looking men that he soon will annihilate. </i>
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                            <i>Satisfied that all attention is now firmly set on the man turned beast in the middle of the room, Snoke swiftly slips out the door, nodding at his men to barricade it behind him after it closes.</i>
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                            <i>In less than two minutes, the courtroom is painted in splotches of bright red blood. The marble floor is slippery with an entire coat of it, along with flesh and innards sprinkled in. </i>
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                            <i>Dismembered body parts and half eaten corpses decorate the rest of the room. Some men never even made it out of their seats. Some made it all the way to the door, only to find it locked. A severed hand still clutches the handle to one of the doors at the end of the rows of seats. </i>
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                            <i>There is now a large hole in one of the windows in the ceiling, now letting the moonlight shine straight into the silent, lurid room, making everything glimmer with an unearthly radiance.</i>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rey is alone in the house when she hears the knock on the door. It echoes almost hauntingly through the empty house as she sits alone in the library, her hands clasped together. </p>
<p>The servants had all gone home, ordered so by the officials that had stopped by as they informed them that their employer had been imprisoned until further notice. She had neglected to keep any lights going, instead keeping the curtains drawn and letting the natural glow from the moon light the darkened rooms. </p>
<p>The thunderous knocking shocks her out of her trance she had been in for the past few hours, and at first, she’s not sure if she had fallen asleep or not until the noise repeats, even louder this time. </p>
<p>She stands from the chair she had seated herself in, her heartbeat beginning to pick up as her mind instantly begins going through all the possibilities of who could be at the door of the Solo estate at this time of night. Whoever it is, they can’t be bringing good news. </p>
<p>When she opens the door and sees Snoke standing on the veranda, her suspicions are confirmed.</p>
<p>He doesn’t speak, and she doesn’t open the door more than halfway. </p>
<p>“What do you want?” she asks, feeling her spine stiffen as he gives her a sly smile with something sinister behind his eyes. </p>
<p>“Miss Palpatine,” he begins, bowing his head politely, the disturbing look still on his face. “I understand you’ve been very adamant about getting Ben out of the hospital.” </p>
<p>She nods slowly, looking off to see that a group of men are standing near the carriage that Snoke had presumably arrived in. </p>
<p>“Yes,” she answers carefully. </p>
<p>“I can arrange that,” he tells her. “If you come with me, I can bring you to him. He is under my care, and I have the authority to release him to you.” </p>
<p>She narrows her eyes at him.</p>
<p>“Why would you do that? The police told me that-”</p>
<p>“The police released him to me,” he informs her. “There was a trial this evening that resulted in him being given to me. I have complete control over where he goes next. I believe it is in his best interest to see you at this time.”</p>
<p>Rey continues to stare at him, still not opening the door any further. </p>
<p>“What do you want from me?” she asks, sensing the man is withholding something. He shakes his head slightly, as if confused why she would ask such a thing. As if he’s always been nothing but a generous being. </p>
<p>“I merely wish for you to receive what you desire, my dear. I believe it only best if you and Ben are reunited again. And we can begin to find a way to fix this mess he seems to have gotten himself in.”</p>
<p>Without thinking, Rey allows the door to open a bit more.</p>
<p>“So you believe he is innocent,” she confirms, her eyes growing a bit wider with hope. If the head doctor of the sanatorium should believe Ben is not a murderer, then… </p>
<p>“All will be explained, dear Rey,” he assures her, looking more confident as he takes a step back, gesturing with his arm for her to come out. “You only need to come with me.”</p>
<p>She looks over to see that the men near the carriage have begun to slowly walk closer to the house, up to the steps. They are dressed in dark robes with hoods that completely shadow their faces, so she can’t make out who they are. But she does see that they look awfully similar to the men that had dragged Ben away. </p>
<p>Taking a step back into the house and shifting the door closed a bit, she puts on a face of respectable declination.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Mr. Snoke,” she nods cordially. “But I’m sure I can get to the sanatorium on my own.” </p>
<p>Silence lingers in the air, but Rey can also feel the dark intent radiating off from the man before her even more, causing her to immediately shut the door. </p>
<p>Before it can close all the way, something pushes hard against it, sending her stumbling back in surprise, giving Snoke enough room to step inside, the robed men leaping up the steps after him.</p>
<p>“We’re not going to the sanatorium,” he tells her, still with that eerie facade of gentlemanliness, even as he stalks toward her like an animal. </p>
<p>Rey scrambles back, briefly thinking of trying to find something lying around close by to use to defend herself with, but the men in robes grab her before she can even get a chance to run. </p>
<p>“Let go of me!” she shouts as they drag her forward, out of the house and into the night, not even stopping to let her get to her feet. “What are you doing?!”</p>
<p>“I told you, Miss Palpatine,” Snoke answers casually, walking behind them as she is dragged down the steps and across the yard. “We’re going to see your fiancé.”</p>
<p>Rey twists herself every which way, trying to wrench herself from the grasp of the men, trying to dig the heels of her shoes into the grass as they yank her towards the carriage they had come from. </p>
<p>But the hands that grip her are unrelenting, and she soon finds herself roughly thrown into the back of the carriage, where there appears to be some sort of cage, that she can guess is where they put patients.</p>
<p>The door is swung closed so hard it rattles the bars of the cage, and a chain and padlock are securely locked around the handle. The robed men then turn and get into the front of the carriage while Snoke stands still, staring at her as she sits in the cramped enclosure.</p>
<p>“What did you do to him?” she glares, her voice dropping almost to a growl as she finds herself harboring a fiery hatred for the man as she senses nothing but pure evil in him. </p>
<p>“You’ll soon see, my dear. You are a very important part of his transformation.”</p>
<p>With that, he gives a darkly satisfied laugh, turning and walking to the front of the carriage and leaving Rey alone, looking at nothing but darkness ahead, knowing no one will help her even if she begs, as the carriage begins moving off into the night. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kylo Ren feels a wondrous rejuvenation take over him this night. It is so much different than all the other times he had taken over. He feels starved from being repressed for so long, but at the same time, he’s never felt stronger. </p>
<p>No one dares get in his way tonight as he bounds freely through the town, letting everyone see him, their delicious screams soon filling every inch of the air as he tears through the village, fires blazing about him, casting shadows dancing in every corner of the street as people struggle to run, to hide, to clear his path before he reaches them. </p>
<p>His clawed feet dig through the stone streets. His paws tear apart any structure in front of him. He feels himself smile hungrily as the feast of fearful villagers scramble before him, only a brave minority choosing to fight, the rest cowering for their lives. </p>
<p>His mouth salivates at the scent of blood running, hearts beating in fear, and flesh burning to be devoured.</p>
<p>Blood soon covers the cobblestone, splashing against buildings, showering over lampposts, sending a red tint over the town, only feeding Kylo’s insatiable hunger to kill. </p>
<p>Bullets fire, daggers are thrown, but nothing is enough to even make him flinch. Nothing slows him down or steers him away. He kills until he is satisfied, only when there is no more noise in the streets, filling the village with an unnatural silence. </p>
<p>He stops for a moment, leaning his head away from the man on the ground he had been eating from, his snout dripping with blood as he smells a fresh spike of fear in the air.</p>
<p>Turning his head, he feels the smell coming from past the treeline, deep in the woods. </p>
<p>It is a ravishing, bone chilling fear he smells. It is strong. The most tempting thing he’s ever sensed. As if something were calling to him.</p>
<p>He rises away from the corpse on the ground he had been digging into, having completely forgotten about it by now, instead finding all of his instincts focused on whatever is in the forest. </p>
<p>On all four legs, he hurdles across the village, leaping up over the stone wall, and charges toward the woods, the scent only becoming stronger and more compelling as he gets closer and closer to its source that he is determined to ravage. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rey screams as loud as she can as she’s dragged through the woods, but of course no one can hear her. From what she saw through the bars of her cage, the town seemed to be burning. She could still smell the horrid aroma of smoke and burning flesh from here, this deep in the woods, though there isn’t a sound in the air aside from her. </p>
<p>It feels as if she has been transported into one of her nightmares she had been having the first night she arrived here. It seems so long ago now, though it’s only been mere weeks. Has it not been years?</p>
<p>She’s suddenly yanked to a halt once Snoke raises a calm hand, surveying the scene before them, which looks to Rey like any other clearing in the forest. He holds the lantern he has been carrying, the only thing lighting their way, to a tree in front of him, as if he recognizes it. </p>
<p>“Here,” the man speaks, and the word sends the robed men into action. </p>
<p>Rey is pulled out of the cage and over to one of the trees, a large one with thicker branches and a particularly large trunk. </p>
<p>“Where is he?” Rey demands, her anger shaking every nerve of her body. “What have you done with him?”</p>
<p>“I helped him discover who he is,” Snoke tells her, standing back as the men begin tying rope around her wrists. “His family owes me a great debt for all they took from me, and I am simply taking what I deserve.” </p>
<p>Rey is roughly shoved back against the thick trunk of the tree, the ropes biting irritably into her wrists as they are tightened and her arms are brought above her head. </p>
<p>“It was you,” she hisses, glaring at the gloating man. “You killed all those people. You’re the murderer.”</p>
<p>“I suppose, in a way, one might see it that way,” Snoke answers, shaking his head a bit as he casually steps closer while the men finish tying the rope from her wrists to one of the branches above. “But I have laid my hand on not a single one of those murdered. Your fiancé is indeed the one who gets that burden.” </p>
<p>Rey feels something in her heart ache painfully, but she pushes it away, shaking her head even as tears suddenly threaten to spill down her face.</p>
<p>“No,” she denies, though her voice sounds strained, as if she herself is only holding onto one pitiful shred of hope. <i>It can’t be… he couldn’t…</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I understand it is hard to accept, dear,” Snoke continues, moving close enough so that he is standing in front of her while the robed men begin to disperse around the clearing, forming some sort of half circle, facing outward towards the empty forest. “And may I say, you ended up causing a lot more trouble than I was prepared for, in ways you will never know.” </i>
  </i>
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<p>
  <i>
    <i>He seems to shake the thought away, his darkly gleeful expression returning. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“But that’s no matter now, is it?” he asks quietly, his tone sending shivers through her. “Because here we are. And your lover will soon be joining us soon to seal his fate.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Before she can ask what that means, he turns sharply to one of the men who turns away from the forest to nod in return to his master.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>As Snoke steps away, the man comes forward, throwing down some sort of bag Rey hadn’t noticed he had been carrying over his shoulder, as it had blended against his pitch black robes.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“As head of the local sanatorium, Miss Rey Palpatine,” Snoke suddenly announces, his voice booming out around the clearing as if he were in a courtroom, “I must say your crime of beastiality is most heinous.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey stares down in confusion and growing fear as the disciple begins bringing out bundles of straw from the sack and throwing them at her feet. </i>
  </i>
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<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Not only have you been intimate with a murderer,” Snoke continues as Rey feels her heart race faster and faster against her chest, making it difficult to breathe, “but you have lain with a monstrous creature, a wolf that has been sent by the devil.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She stares at him with wide, frightened eyes as he seems to be enjoying playing the part of a man keen to sentence a wicked woman to her end. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>“A wolf,” she whispers quietly to herself, a tear finally escaping down her cheek. </i>
  </i>
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<p>
  <i>
    <i>“By my expert judgement Miss Palpatine, you are but a fiend sent from Hell as well. And the only way I recommend we can purify your odious sin, is to burn every inch of it from you.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>A cry tries tearing through her throat, but she is paralyzed, unable to even attempt to fight against her bonds as she looks down to see the straw stacked almost to her knees, pressing closely against her legs, while Snoke steps forward and takes the place of the robed man who scurries back into place with the others.</i>
  </i>
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<p>
  <i>
    <i>Taking the lantern in his hand, he shatters it against the side of the tree before throwing it down into the dry straw at her feet, the flame catching immediately with the breeze in the air. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Please,” Rey finally gasps, looking back at him helplessly. “You don’t have to do this…”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You may scream if you wish,” is all he says to her as he steps back, placing his hands behind his back as if he were preparing to watch an interesting performance. “It would be a great help.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey pushes herself against the tree, as if she could somehow escape into it, but it is unyielding as the small flame caught in the straw begins spreading quickly. Smoke rises from the growing flames, and it doesn’t take long for her to become nearly buried in it, choking whenever she tries to take a breath.</i>
  </i>
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<p>
  <i>
    <i>She can see Snoke still watching her, his gaze cutting through the thick cloud of smoke, looking almost anxious for whatever it is he is waiting for. Can burning someone alive be so intriguing? </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Her fingers scrape against the rough bark of the tree, as if she hopes for a moment that she can somehow climb up the tree by the strength of her fingers alone. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She feels the sharp wood cut into her fingers, and the warm trickle of blood soon drips down her palms as she struggles against the tree, the flames growing into a circle, drowning her in heat that makes her eyes feel as if they’re about to burst from her skull. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Her mouth opens in shock as she runs her fingers over the bark, feeling the sharp wood bite at her skin. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>An image comes into her mind. A memory of when she had been climbing the trees out here on her first visit. The bark on the trees in Ajan Kloss was softer. It was what she was used to. When she had started climbing the trees out here, she had come back with countless cuts all over her arms and legs. She had asked Ben why the bark out here hurt so much. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Moving as fast as she can, she begins rubbing the rope tying her wrists against the sharp bark of the tree, feeling the shedding of dozens of splinters biting into her skin, but she doesn’t stop.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She scrapes and scrapes her wrists against the tree, the rope and the wood feeling as if it is burning the skin off her hands, but the fire licking at her skirt is enough to encourage her to keep going. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She knows Snoke and the others must be able to see what she’s doing by now, but none of them make a move to stop her. She supposes there is not much they can do while she is surrounded by a circle of expanding flames. But still, she expects them to look concerned or worried she will escape. They stand as they have been, motionless, Snoke looking as if he’s enjoying an exciting show, and the men staring out at the forest, waiting for something. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey feels her blood turn ice cold as she tugs fervently at her bindings. Every nerve in her body is telling her to run, that something is coming for her. She feels as if she is yet again in one of her nightmares, waiting for one of the beasts from the darkness to bite at her flesh, rip open her skin.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Finally, she feels the rope break, unbinding her hands and leaving her free to kick as hard as she can at one of the bundles of straw and leap quickly over the side of the small fire, breaking into a staggering run, dodging past the man nearest to her who tries grabbing for her as she bolts away. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Let her go!” she hears Snoke call out to his men as she runs as fast as her feet can carry her. “He will catch her!” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Rey doesn’t slow her pace for a moment. She doesn’t worry about how she can see next to nothing in front of her. She doesn’t worry about the millions of roots and shrubbery grabbing at her ankles, threatening to pull her to the ground. She runs.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Tears streak across her face. Her lungs burn. Her legs ache. But she couldn’t stop even if she wanted to. It’s as if her body has locked into a kind of adrenaline-fueled survival obsessed being, unwilling to let her stop or slow down for even a second.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She doesn’t hear any of the men chasing after her. But she hears something much worse. Something… inhuman.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It had been far behind her at first, so far she had been sure she had simply imagined it. Or at least that she had been able to outrun it.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>But she hears it clearly now in the silence of the forest. Her own breath and racing heart are surprisingly silent, as if some survival instinct inside her is keeping her under control. At first, there was no sound but the thumping of her boots against the dirt. Now, she hears a different set of feet connecting against the soft ground, sounding distant, miles from her at first. But it sounds nothing like human feet. They’re heavier, faster, catching up to her much too quickly to be human. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Paws<i>, she realizes as she whips out of the way of a tree that hadn’t been visible just before she can collide against it. Four paws, hitting the ground behind her. And a panting, a growling sounding as if it’s coming from the mouth of a starved monster. 

</i></i></p><p>
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  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kylo can smell the tremendous scent growing stronger as he tears through the woods, seeing a glowing light of flames somewhere in the distance. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The fear had spiked amazingly in the air. Whoever the owner of that scent was had been afraid for their life, which had egged him on all the more, made him run faster and faster, clawing trees and shrubbery out of his way, roaring in anger as he suddenly smells the scent moving away rapidly, though still drenched with mouthwatering fear. </i>
      </i>
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<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>There are men standing by the fire that is slowly crawling up one of the trees. Men in dark robes who are standing around a clearing in the woods.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
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  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He doesn’t stop to see what is going on or who they are. He wants that scent. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He takes off two heads in one swipe. He rips off the arm of another. His claw tears through the chest of the next and the last is thrown into the flames gathered at the base of the tree. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He leaves the clearing without another thought, coming back down onto all fours, chasing after the fading scent, following the trail through the dirt that the delectable human had left. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Yes<i> a familiar voice echoes through his consciousness as he races through the darkness. </i>Find her… kill her… finish it.<i></i></i></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As he gets closer to her, he can feel more from her. She doesn’t know this area well. She doesn’t have a place to hide. She is just running. Trying to get away from him. </p>
<p>He’s glad. It makes her more afraid and all the more fun for him. </p>
<p>He stays back intentionally, as he always does when he’s chasing something exciting. He takes his time catching up to her, smelling the fear racing through her blood, her heart beating rapidly in her chest, the tears running down her face. </p>
<p>But there is something different about her from the others. She doesn’t slow for one moment. She never falters a step, never stumbles clumsily or lets her fear overtake her. Kylo can sense her determination, her resolve to keep running, to escape from him no matter what. Her mind is clear, focused, her thoughts not rambled and unclear. </p>
<p>He’s not sure if he should be wary of this, because it only makes him all the more eager to tear through her flesh and rip her to pieces, to taste that seductive scent, feel it running down his throat, over his tongue. </p>
<p>Despite her strange stability, Kylo is able to reach her easily, her weak human speed unable to match his. But he lets her go as far as the edge of the cliff that drops down into the ravine. She of course doesn’t know where she is heading, so he senses immense relief when she first breaks through the treeline, but then growing horror when she realizes there is now nowhere to go. </p>
<p>He takes a moment to relish in her savory terror, watching from the shadows of the trees as she turns back to face the forest. Once again, he is surprised at her resilience. Most would cower in fear by this point, begging to be spared or uttering useless prayers. But all he senses from her is a readiness to fight, to defend herself against her unseen assailant that she must know by now is nothing further than evil. </p>
<p>It is curious behavior from a human. </p>
<p>He waits just a moment longer, watching her stand as still as a statue, her eyes glued to the trees, her heartbeat humming louder now in his ears. </p>
<p>Kylo leaps from the trees, letting a hungry growl tear through his throat as he feels his front paws connect against the woman’s shoulders, pushing her to the ground and landing firmly on top of her. </p>
<p>He waits for her scream, but it doesn’t come. Instead, he feels her freeze beneath him, her hands pushed against his chest as he drools above her, his teeth aching to tear into her skin as her aroma fills his snout. </p>
<p>He looks at her face, his jaw curling into a snarl as he feels her warm flesh burning past his thick skin. </p>
<p>But when he looks into her eyes, he is soon frozen as well.</p>
<p>There is not a shred of fear lingering in her once she looks into his eyes. It’s as if something were switched off completely. Despite how terrified she should be with something like him pounced on top of her, ready to rip out her insides, the look she gives him is one of realization, comfort, and a sadness so sharp, Kylo feels as if something has suddenly cut into his chest, like those rare times that mysterious man in the woods fires a silver bullet into his body. </p>
<p>
  <i>Do it<i> the voice in his consciousness urges on his instincts. </i>You have her now. Finish it!<i></i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Ben,” the woman beneath him speaks in a soft, yet unwavering voice as tears drip from her eyes. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Now it feels as if something were suddenly tugging sharply on Kylo’s chest, like a rope pulling him back someplace. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“It’s you,” she states, not shying away from his menacing gaze, even when he digs his claws threateningly into her shoulders. “Ben… do you recognize me?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Kill her!</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I’m not afraid of you,” she tells him, her voice still steady as she stares confidently into his eyes. “Ben-”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He releases a sharp growl into her face, making her flinch at first, but she still doesn’t turn away. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I know you won’t hurt me,” she speaks to him again, her voice still calm. “Ben… I know you can see me.” </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Kill her now<i> his instincts tell him. </i>That scent…</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>No. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>There is another voice inside him now. Something that remembers this girl from a dream, or a memory. </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Don’t hurt her<i> a softer voice in his head suddenly speaks to him. </i>Remember her… she’ll save us.</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He sees an image of this woman, standing in a forest. Walking out of a lake. Comforting him… no, not him. Someone else. Someone trapped deep within him. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>He sees an image of this woman, standing in a forest. Walking out of a lake. Comforting him… no, not him. Someone else. Someone trapped deep within him. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>She smells so tempting. He wants so badly to kill her, to tear her to shreds, to taste her flesh. She’s pinned right beneath him, her vulnerability almost taunting him. </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Rey.<i> He remembers now. Her name is Rey. 

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>The savior he had dreamed of from the forest. The one who heals, who brings warmth and solace. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>There is comfort in her gaze. Peace. Her hand reaches up to touch against the side of his snout, unwavering at the feeling of rough fur and leathery skin in place of human flesh. She moves as if she were touching the face of a man, not a monster. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“I love you.” </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Her words are as committed as her gaze and her touch. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Kylo Ren has never felt pain. At least nothing crippling. Nothing fatal. Nothing that has made him fear for his survival. There is nothing that can stop him. That has been the only sure thing about every time he has been released. Even the man who had shot him with those strange, burning bullets had only made him cautious. Never afraid.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>He only has seconds to be afraid now before he feels himself fading away. He wants to fight, to scream, to thrash and claw, but he is weak. It’s as if his strength is being so easily drained away from him. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Kylo has enough time to raise his paw, aimed towards the woman’s face, before he falls into darkness, a permanent state of non-existence. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“You ignorant mutt,” Snoke hisses, stepping slowly from the trees, witnessing the pathetic scene playing out before him. “I ask you to do one thing, something so simple, and you let your weak human heart get in the way.”</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Rey stares worriedly at him while the beast still hovering over her slowly releases its claws from her bloodied shoulders, stepping off of her and turning back to face him now, it’s teeth shining menacingly as a low protective growl rumbles through its throat, standing in front of the girl behind him. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“Turning on your master now are we?” Snoke questions, not feeling a sensation of dread, rather than a biting frustration at the two pitiful creatures who have ruined his plans. “Do you think I am afraid of you, Ben Solo?”</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Looking into the once blackened eyes of the wolf, one could see that there is something different in them. The bloodlust is gone, replaced by the warmer, more human eyes of a man. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>The wolf leaps forward, a roar echoing through the clearing as it collides against the man in front of him, knocking him to the ground. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Snoke merely laughs gleefully at the feral beast above him, unfeeling at the claws digging into his skin. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>He calls on something from deep in the forest, underground. Something in the night sky that bows to his will. A power that he has trained to serve him, to offer him unmatched power that so many have tried to stop him from getting. Something that grants him an inhuman presence, that showers him in strength.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>“Do you think you are the only one who has known power like this, Ben Solo?” Snoke cackles, relishing in the dark magic he draws up from the very ground of the Earth, making the forest all around them tremble. “Oh, how ignorant you’ve always been.” </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Claws sprout from his own hands. His bones break and reform into the skeleton of a beast. His skin roughens, sharp grey fur covers his face, his body. Fangs break from his jaw, blood spraying onto his chest as they do.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Snoke merely laughs, embracing the beautiful pain as his human form melts away, his body enlarging to rival that of the wolf pinning him to the ground.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>There is a flash of something in Ben’s eyes. Fear or surprise maybe. Snoke doesn’t care. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>His long, spindly claws stab into the back of the black furred wolf, making him howl in pain, before he throws the creature back, jumping up onto his own hind legs as he watches Ben dig his claws into the ground, tearing out the grass and roots as he slides toward the edge of the cliff, but stops himself just in time.</i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>Ben senses Rey scramble up from where she had been lying, stepping carefully back as she watches the two beasts growl threateningly at each other. </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Stay back<i> he tries to tell her as his instincts focus on the predator stalking before him, determined to take him down, to eliminate him. Either way, he will make sure Rey is not harmed.

</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Snoke moves first, leaping from four long legs toward Ben, who leaps into the air to meet the other beast, the two colliding together with a boom that reverberates through the entire forest and a roaring that shakes the trees. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>They crash to the ground, Ben managing to leap on top of Snoke once again, until Snoke rips his claws down his back, making Ben reel in pain, giving Snoke enough time to kick a taloned foot against his chest, sending him tumbling back. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Snoke attacks again, but Ben catches the arms of the grey furred creature in his paws and moves quickly to dig his fangs into the shoulder of his attacker.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Snoke howls in anger and pain, ripping one arm free of Ben’s grasp and clobbering his paw against his head, sending Ben crashing against a nearby tree before sliding back to the ground.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>He tries to ignore the wood from the tree ripping into the fresh wounds on his back as he rises back onto his hind legs, tasting the blood that lingers on his teeth from the toughened skin he had just bit into. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>The grey wolf charges him again, faster this time, so that Ben has no time to react before he feels claws sink into his chest and he is being thrown towards the cliff again. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>He barely catches himself, this time feeling his feet slip off the edge before he can hurl himself back up. But he doesn’t even get the chance to stand back up before Snoke is on him again, flinging him back against the tree and quickly pouncing on top of him, his paws slashing through his torso and shattering his ribs.</i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>Ben can hear Rey screaming from the side of the clearing, her horror doing something much more painful than the injury to his ribs. </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>I could have given you so much<i> Snoke’s voice rings inside his head as the grey wolf bites and tears at him, ripping at his flesh as Ben struggles to get a grip on the beast. </i>And you betray me for love of a simple minded, common girl.</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>Ben struggles to move his feet forward, digging his clawed nails into Snoke’s chest and pushing him back before leaping back onto his feet. </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>No<i> Ben answers him as his lips curl behind his sharp teeth. </i>You only wanted for me to suffer. All I am for you is revenge.</i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>
          <i>
            <i>
              <i>
                <i>
                  <i>
                    <i>
                      <i>
                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>Revenge for what, Ben does not know. Perhaps he never will. But he is certain now that whatever his family had done to try and stop this monstrous being, had been right. And he will either finish the job for them, or die fighting. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
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                    <i>
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                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>The grey wolf leers at him, blood dripping from its muzzle. Rey stands not far behind him, her eyes on Ben with fear and anguish. He wishes he had a way to reassure her, to tell her everything is going to be alright, that he will kill this beast for her and free them both.</i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>But even if he could tell her that, it would be a lie. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                              <i>
                                <i>Snoke creeps towards him, and Ben readies himself as best he can, feeling hot blood drenching his lower half, leaking from the slashes and bite marks painting his chest and ribs. But he isn’t fast enough to stop the next attack, finding himself thrown back against the ground before being wrenched up by his foot and slammed against the tree. Nearly knocking it down as he hits it for the third time.</i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
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  </i>
</p>
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                              <i>
                                <i>He feels something in his foot snap in Snoke’s hand before he releases him and he howls in anguish as he crumples to the ground. He leans on the injured foot, trying to stand back up, but he stumbles back down immediately, realizing instantly that he will not be able to walk on it. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>As the grey wolf stalks forward, his paw reared back for the killing blow, Rey suddenly runs forward, throwing herself before Ben’s helpless form. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>He doesn’t have time to register how fearlessly the act had been, that it almost seemed automatic for her to collapse in front of this monstrous creature in order to protect the other beast behind her. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
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        </i>
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    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>It’s quiet for a moment, as even Snoke looks caught off guard by the act. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>“You’ll have to kill me,” is all she says. She speaks calmly and evenly, just as she always has. There is no fear or doubt in her decision, even though Ben feels every instinct in him fighting to throw her out of the way, to stop her senseless sacrifice. But he can hardly move. The most he can do is whimper at her, nudging her slightly with his paw to try to move her away, but she doesn’t budge. She stays unmoving, determinedly glaring up at the monster above her. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
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</p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>Somewhere deep inside him, he is amazed at her. For someone who comes from a supposedly dishonorable background, she may be the bravest person he has ever known. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
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              </i>
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</p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>As Snoke steps closer, teeth bared and gleaming in the moonlight, Ben and his attention are suddenly pulled to the other side of the forest where their ears pick something up, something moving rapidly through the trees.</i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
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                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
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        </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>It is a human, very tired and out of breath from the heavy panting sounds and the sweat pouring from him. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
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    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                              <i>
                                <i>The commotion distracts them enough for Ben to slowly lean forward and nudge his snout against Rey’s back. When she turns to face him, he tries desperately to get her to stand behind him, but with his cracked ribs and broken foot, he moves pretty poorly. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
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                    </i>
                  </i>
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</p>
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                              <i>
                                <i>She places her hand on his shoulder, her palm feeling warm through his fur. And while the touch is peaceful, her gaze is harsh and obstinate. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
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      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                              <i>
                                <i>He doesn’t have to hear her speak to know what she is telling him. She’s not leaving him. She will die with him.</i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
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</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>The human bursts through the trees and the click of a pistol rings through the clearing. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
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</p>
<p>
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                              <i>
                                <i>Ben’s eyes fall on a man who is breathing heavily, but holds the pistol with a steady hand, aimed at the grey wolf hovering above him and Rey. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>Poe. The man who had helped him, who had tried to keep him under control. His friend. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
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</p>
<p>
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                              <i>
                                <i>His hair is disheveled, his clothes are ragged. He looks as if he’s been running for miles. Ben has no idea how he got here, or how he knew they were in trouble. But he couldn’t be more happy to see him. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
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                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>Snoke seems to look the man over before giving a snort of insignificance, turning back to Rey. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
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                    </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>His arm flashes forward towards them faster than lightning, knocking Rey roughly out of the way, sending her crashing to the side, her head smacking against one of the rocks by the trees, instantly drawing blood. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>Ben roars in anger, but before he can attempt to reach up and claw his way through Snoke’s legs, a shot booms through the air and a spout of blood bursts from Snoke’s shoulder. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
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</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>The blast sends the grey wolf stumbling back as the silver bullet imbeds itself deep into his arm. He growls in fury as Poe rapidly begins reloading the gun before raising it again aiming towards the wolf’s chest. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
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                <i>
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                    <i>
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                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>But the beast moves fast, running forward so that the next shot only skims his neck, enough to make him grumble in discomfort, but not enough to stop his attack. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
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                </i>
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            </i>
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</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>Ben leaps forward with every bit of strength he can muster, desperate to stop Snoke’s assault, but he only manages to wrap his claws hands around the wolf’s shoulders. He lands on his back as Snoke pushes Poe to the ground, the pistol flying out of his hand as he crashes painfully to the ground. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>Ben moves as quickly as he can, jerking himself sideways and pulling Snoke off of Poe, but not before one of the wolf’s skeletal claws can rip through Poe’s chest, swiftly staining the white of his shirt with scarlet red blood. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>Thankfully, before he can do anything else, Snoke turns his attack back to Ben, easily pinning him to the ground, the both of them centimeters from the edge of the cliff, and letting out a ferocious roar before closing his jaw over his throat. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
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</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>Ben fights and claws at the snout closed over his neck as his head arches over the edge of the rock face, feeling the teeth digging around through his flesh, desperate to tear out his throat. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                              <i>
                                <i>Knowing very well he is most likely about to be killed in less than an instant, he looks back behind his attacker to see where Rey has slowly begun to rise from where she had been thrown, one hand gently touching against the side of her head that had been split open, her other arm hugged against her waist where she had been hit. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>She looks hopeless. Her eyes are wide, frozen in shock as she watches him. It hurts him more than Snoke ever could.</i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>He wants to tell her he loves her, but he dares not even think the words, not wanting Snoke to pick up on his thoughts. These last moments are going to be his. His and Rey’s alone. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
                </i>
              </i>
            </i>
          </i>
        </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
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                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>She looks away from him. Off at something behind him, or in the distance. </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
                        </i>
                      </i>
                    </i>
                  </i>
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  </i>
</p>
<p>
No… why won’t she look at him? He's going to die, why doesn’t she <i>look at him?!</i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
  <i>
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                        <i>
                          <i>
                            <i>
                              <i>
                                <i>
                                  <i>
                                    <i>Craning his neck, he follows her gaze and is confused to see Poe crawling away towards something. Reaching for something. </i>
                                  </i>
                                </i>
                              </i>
                            </i>
                          </i>
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                                    <i>When he sits back up again, Ben sees it is the pistol he had been reaching for. He limps forward, his eyes on Rey as he raises his hand with a painful breath, and tosses the gun her way. </i>
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                                    <i>She catches it easily in one hand. Her eyes are narrowed and focused again as Ben watches her in astonishment at first, and soon with confidence as he turns back towards Snoke who is still gnawing at his throat. </i>
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                                    <i>Ben shifts himself ever so slightly, so discreetly that the savage grey wolf does not take notice. He moves until the wolf’s head is between him and where Rey has slowly risen to her feet, pistol in hand. </i>
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                                    <i>She walks forward swiftly and effortlessly, as if her injuries no longer troubled her. Even Ben is alarmed at how fast she moves, and he can tell Snoke doesn’t even sense how close she has gotten until it is too late.</i>
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                                    <i>Rey is inches beside the grey wolf as she places the barrel of the pistol against its head and fires without a moment’s hesitation. </i>
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                                    <i>Ben’s eyes instinctively close as blood sprays following the shot of the gun. The clearing is deadly quiet, almost in a haunting way, and he is momentarily frightened that perhaps Snoke had managed one last bout of strength and succeeded in ripping out his throat before the pistol had fired. </i>
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                                    <i>But when he opens his eyes and blinks past the sticky splatter of blood, he sees not much left of the head of the wolf that still looks to be locked onto his neck. </i>
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                                    <i>A chill of something goes through the air, a raged cry of agony, something still desperately clinging onto life, desperately looking for something to latch onto. But Snoke’s soul is dying quickly, and Ben lifts his still twitching body off from his neck, seeing the grey wolf’s jaw slacken, hanging open as he pushes him back. </i>
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                                    <i>Feeling the ice cold grip of Snoke’s influence clinging onto his mind like a lifeline, Ben takes the body of the grey wolf and throws him over his head, sending it flying off the side of the cliff and towards the ravine below. </i>
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                                    <i>A scream shrieks through the night air, growing more and more faint until Snoke’s body is skewered by the sharp rocks below.</i>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben feels himself falling back down to Earth as if he were tumbling down a cliff, in some horrible lucid dream. He knows where he is, that he’s transforming again.</p><p>It should be painful, but it isn’t. There isn’t a shred of agony, as there usually is. There’s no bones snapping back into place, no skin peeling and burning away. Instead, it feels rather like an enormous weight is being lifted from him, spirited away somewhere he never has to feel it again. He feels nothing but relief. </p><p>He can’t remember how long he’s been like this, but the next thing Ben knows, he is lying slumped over on something. It’s cold, like it usually is the morning after his transformation. He can feel the sad shreds of his clothes clinging to him, fluttering slightly in the breeze that moves chillingly through the air. </p><p>But there is warmth as well. Something beneath him that he is curled up against that feels much more comforting than the tree stump he usually finds himself in. </p><p>There are hands on his back, stroking up and down, as if bringing him out of a deep sleep.

</p>
<p>He turns his head, his eyes opening to see darkness at first, until a hand reaches forward, touching against his cheek, turning his head. </p><p>He looks down upon the most beautiful face he could imagine. A woman smiling up at him, holding him close to her as he shivers in the cold. The moonlight casts a heavenly glow over her angelic face. </p><p>Rey smiles as she slowly sits up, gently pulling him up with her. He seems to have collapsed on top of her somehow. They are farther from the edge of the cliff than he remembers, closer to the trees. </p><p>Ben looks around, slightly confused as he tries to remember what had happened. He sees Poe standing near the edge of the cliff, looking down at something. </p><p>A jolt of pain sparks through his stomach as he shifts slightly to try to sit up. </p><p>“Careful,” a soft voice speaks gently. </p><p>He turns back to Rey, feeling more pain lace through his torso, as if hundreds of sharp rocks had been embedded in his insides. </p><p>“Your ribs are broken,” she tells him as he persists in trying to sit up, only to find his torso and his left ankle screaming in defiance. “Your ankle too no doubt.” </p><p>He remembers something now… a fight. Snoke… or some awful beast… he remembers, but as if he were merely a spectator rather than a partaker. </p><p>He looks at Rey, his mouth opening and closing as he tries to ask her what happened, if they are alright, if he had harmed her. But she only smiles, both her hands reaching up to run through his hair as she gives him a look of amazement. </p><p>There is a line of blood down the side of her head that Ben hesitantly raises his hand to touch as a sick bout of horror goes through him. </p><p>“Did I do this?” he asks, his throat dry from exhaustion and fear. “Rey, have I…?”</p><p>“No,” she shakes her head, still grinning. “Ben, you’re free. Snoke is dead, your curse has been lifted.” </p><p>The curse… it can’t be. And yet, he does feel something… something different. Something that is missing, that’s been taken back. </p><p>It’s still night. And he’s here. There is no trace of Kylo Ren, no trace of any beast, not even a single bit of it lingering in his mind or his body. It is as if the monster has been completely swept away. </p><p>Now his face matches Rey’s look of amazement as he smiles in disbelief, reaching up to touch her face, relieved at her presence, feeling her existence shine brighter and warmer than anything he’s felt before, immediately sensing all she has done for him. </p><p>“You saved me,” he tells her, his voice still sounding weak, yet with much more confidence. “You broke the curse. How did you…?” </p><p>She gives him a half smile now as her hands drop down to his.</p><p>“I’m a healer, remember?” she reminds him of what she had told him that day in the study when she had helped fix his bloodied arm. “I suppose there may have been some truth in those legends everyone from home always told me.” </p><p>Ben almost laughs, in incredulity, or joy, or hysteria, or maybe all three. </p><p>Rey’s eyes are full of questions that go unasked. <i>Why didn’t you tell me? How did this happen? Why couldn’t you have let me help you sooner?<i></i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>But Ben can’t answer them anymore than she can ask them. Nothing can be changed or undone, as much as he would like it to be. If he only knew she was the key to breaking his awful curse, he would have given himself to her fully, without question. Countless lives could have been spared, and perhaps his soul would feel a bit more salvaged. Because he knows even now, no matter what he does, he will never be able to fully blame Snoke for all the people Kylo Ren slaughtered. All the terror he brought. </i>
  </i>
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    <i>However, as he sits here in Rey’s arms, he finds it hard to feel so defeated. Especially when he is here. Somehow Ben Solo survived whilst Kylo Ren was vanquished. And the good in his heart remains. </i>
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    <i>He kisses her without another thought, and she returns the gesture eagerly, the two of them grabbing and holding each other as if the other may be ripped away in a moment. </i>
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    <i>“Excuse me!” a voice calls out, causing them to part and look over to the third figure in the clearing. </i>
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    <i>Poe stumbles towards them, one hand held against his bloodied chest that looks like it direly needs medical attention. </i>
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    <i>“I know you two are happy and all, but if we could get to a hospital now, I would be very grateful. And preferably one where the head doctor isn’t a wielder of dark magic.”</i>
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    <i>Poe was the one to take the credit for discovering the real culprit behind the murders. Ben had had enough of being in the public eye, even if it is for a good deed, and Rey never much liked attention on her anyway. Poe was the only one willing to relish in the glory. 	</i>
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    <i>It didn’t take much to convince authorities that Snoke and his followers were the ones responsible for the murders, after investigating Snoke’s private office and finding proof that he indeed practiced black magic. The official story was that Snoke had attempted pinning everything on Ben Solo, then went insane, slaughtered all of his followers, then pitched himself off a cliff. If one investigated further into it, they may find clues that prove there was much more to the story, but for now, everyone wants any reason to move forward. </i>
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    <i>As soon as everything was set in order, Rey and Ben left Alderaan behind as quickly as they could. Hux seemed to have disappeared completely, Rey having not seen any trace of him since the day he had proclaimed he was arranging for them to leave. She assumed he went ahead and left on his own. And that meant there was nothing stopping her now from doing the same. </i>
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    <i>After the final arrangements had been made, Rey and Ben left discreetly to Naboo, to a place where Ben’s grandparents had supposedly lived. No one knew and no one asked. Perhaps everyone thought it was best to leave Ben Solo and his fiancé alone for now. Poe was helping to keep everyone preoccupied with recovering from the murders that no one cared to look into the Solo affairs, for now at least. </i>
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    <i>Their home in Naboo is quiet. Out of the way. Modest. A comfortable house along a large, glittering lake, surrounded by lush green trees that remind Rey of Ajan Kloss, and gorgeous mountains that remind Ben of his home. </i>
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    <i>Their wedding is small and private, taking place in the beautiful, small forest that serves as the front yard of their house.</i>
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    <i>Rey wears a fluffy, ivory silk gown that she makes herself, and Ben wears the suit his father had wed his mother in. There is no crowd, no grand feast, no booming church bells, no glorious ball. Just the both of them, speaking their vows in the quiet, gold showered forest and the officiant who had come in from town to wed them. </i>
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    <i>Ben realizes he couldn’t wish for it to be any other way. </i>
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    <i>He and his bride hold each other close as they sit on the veranda of their new home, looking out over the light blue lake that sparkles against the evening sun, the breeze in the air rippling across the water, promising a cool night. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>“It’s strange,” he hears Rey speak as she curls against him, watching the elegant display of nature before them. “Everything that’s happened was so horrifying, and yet… it somehow led us right where we needed to be.”</i>
  </i>
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  <i>
    <i>Ben had wanted to say it aloud as well. But something about it felt wrong to be thankful for. So many innocent people had died by his hand, even though he had been under a spell. The love of his life and his best friend had nearly died for him. How could all of these malicious events lead to him receiving everything he’s ever wanted? </i>
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    <i>“I don’t deserve this,” he decides. “After everything I’ve done…”</i>
  </i>
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  <i>
    <i>Rey’s hand wraps around his. Her warmth shoots through him, as it has always done when she touches him like this, as if she possesses some sort of power to calm him whenever she wishes it. </i>
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  <i>
    <i>“You were a victim just as much as anybody,” she tells him, her tone leaving no room for disagreement. “You did everything you could to try to prevent Kylo Ren from hurting anyone. Ben Solo is a good man. Kylo was a mindless monster that took residence in you.”</i>
  </i>
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  <i>
    <i>She turns her head to look up at him now, her eyes full of promise and rejoice. </i>
  </i>
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    <i>“And in the end, did you not find yourself? Did you not fight and beat that terrible curse until that creature was no more?”</i>
  </i>
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  <i>
    <i>He returns her joyous expression.</i>
  </i>
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  <i>
    <i>“Only with your help,” he reminds her. </i>
  </i>
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    <i>She gives a small laugh, shaking her head as she looks back out over the lake.</i>
  </i>
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  <i>
    <i>Rey has been doubting more and more each day that she had much of a hand in his salvation until now, she doesn’t truly believe she had been the one to break the curse. But Ben believes it wholeheartedly. If she had been in his mind that night, she would have no doubts either. </i>
  </i>
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  <i>
    <i>He holds her close, pressing his lips to the top of her head. </i>
  </i>
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  <i>
    <i>“Let’s not speak of the past now,” she tells him, her voice as soothing as the scenery. “Not tonight. All I want is to be with you.” </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>She’s right, of course. This isn’t the place to think about the horrors that had taken place in Alderaan. This place is theirs. This is where they will make a home of their own and live their own life, away from the influence, prodding, and evil of everything that had tried so hard to tear them apart.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Thank you for choosing to marry me,” he tells her quietly, his hand stroking through her hair. “I know I must have said it a hundred time by now, but…”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I know,” he hears her smile. “But I don’t mind hearing it a hundred times more, because coming to you was the best decision I ever made in my life, Lord Solo.” </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Ben doesn’t know what his future holds, only that Rey will be the most important one in it. And from the way she holds his hand securely in hers, he can tell without asking that she feels the same.</i>
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    <i>The clearing is as cold and dead looking as the weather. Alderaan doesn’t seem to have very many days where the sun doesn’t glow prominently through the clouds, but every once in a blue moon, it seems that at least this part of the land gets overshadowed by a gloomy, grey blanket of clouds. </i>
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    <i>His boots kick through the sad debris of broken branches and fallen leaves as he walks towards the edge of the cliff, peering down into the ravine miles below.</i>
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    <i>What remained of Snoke’s mutilated corpse wasn’t quite enough to warrant bringing into the coroner’s office, and everyone in town had a rather bitter opinion of the man anyway, to say the least. So, his remains were left to be swept away by the rushing water, though one could still see faint stains of blood sticking to the jagged rocks.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
<i>Old fool<i> Hux thinks to himself as he sneers in momentary disgust. Now, more than ever, he regrets ever being a follower of the man, believing he would share his dark secrets with him. To think, he had ever been a disciple of someone who so easily let themselves be destroyed…

</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
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      <i>
        <i>The others had been killed as well, of course. Even Hux could have predicted that. They were sloppy, ignorantly putting all their trust into Snoke, while Hux had chosen to remain detached, working for him from a distance. An incredibly safe distance, apparently. </i>
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      <i>
        <i>He turns on his heel, stalking back through the clearing, relishing the dead silence in the air that seems to eek throughout the entirety of the forest. </i>
      </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Words can’t describe his unquieted rage. Rage for everything, for how this entire plan had fallen apart, for how his own plans had failed miserably, and how Ben Solo, that clueless, self absorbed swine, had walked away without consequence. </i>
      </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Snoke had made contact with Hux not long after disposing of Solo’s parents. He had said he had discovered that the curse required an essential victim, someone Ben would need to kill in order to permanently entrap him in a beastly form. That victim, Snoke decided, would be Rey. </i>
      </i>
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      <i>
        <i>It had fallen on Hux to arrange the shipwreck that took Rey’s parents. Quite an easy task, since the family trusted him so much and his own family name earned him many favors from willing citizens in Ajan Kloss. </i>
      </i>
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      <i>
        <i>Snoke had ordered him to push Rey to accept the marriage to Ben Solo as a way of securing herself after the death of her parents. Hux had been more than willing to go along with the plan, sure of himself since he had spent many years advising the Palpatine family, and was positive the task of influencing the decision of a naive, lonely, and terrified young woman would be effortless. </i>
      </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He never expected to fall for the girl. </i>
      </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Hux has always prided himself on his ability to brush aside any distractions such as a need for physical love, or the allure of beautiful people. He saw everyone fairly evenly, whether they were people he needed to move, like chess pieces, or simply people of relative unimportance.</i>
      </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>But once young Rey had no one to turn to but him, it was as if something in his mind and body had changed. He felt as if something inside him had moved him completely. He revelled in the moments he had comforted her in her grieving, finding himself yearning to hold her close to him, to smell her hair, to feel the skin of her face on his cheek. </i>
      </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>He thought perhaps this was simply a momentary weakness, a misstep in his mind. Emotions can sometimes blind a person, throw them off course. But the feeling lingered, stronger and stronger, until he found himself fantasizing about moments alone with her, tasting her small pink lips, peeling away her extravagant gowns, unlacing her undergarments… </i>
      </i>
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    <i>
      <i>
        <i>It had been on the way here, during the carriage ride, that he had made his decision. Snoke could do what he pleased with Solo, but Hux would do everything in his power to turn Rey away from him. He did what he could to plant doubt, to raise suspicions, to overwhelm her with rules of etiquette and the fear of someone finding out about her true lineage, all to hopefully scare her off, to make her want to return to Ajan Kloss with him, where he would begin to court her, to get her to trust him, and only him. </i>
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        <i>But the silly girl chose to fall for Ben Solo. Even though Hux had been the one to protect her from that horrid monster. He had been the one to slip the suppressants into Ben’s wine to stop him from turning the night Rey had run into the woods by herself, and the night she had told him she would be going to visit Ben in his chambers. </i>
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        <i>He had even been the one to turn Ben into the authorities, hoping he would be locked up and executed within the week, but of course that plan had severely backfired. When he had learned Ben had been handed over to Snoke, Hux had hoped to get Rey out of Alderaan as quickly as possible, knowing Snoke would be coming for her next in order to complete the curse. </i>
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But she had wanted to stay. With <i>him<i>. Even though he wasn't the one who has been watching out for her, protecting her this entire time.

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            <i>For a second, he had wanted to strangle her. To strike her, to curse her and beat her into the ground for being so ungrateful to him. But he hadn’t wanted to bother.</i>
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<i>Fine<i> he had thought spitefully as he had turned from her, leaving her alone in the yard in front of the Solo house. </i>Stay and die, you spiteful little harlot.</i></p><p>
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                <i>He had prayed for her death. He had spent hours in the small room he had rented outside of town, counting down each minute, knowing Snoke would have taken her deep into the woods, where he would draw Kylo Ren out. </i>
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                <i>He pictured her being torn to pieces, screaming in pain, while in the last moments of her life, she would be wishing she had listened to him. Wishing she had gone with him instead of offering herself up to her rapacious lover. </i>
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                <i>But no. She had survived. And now she and Ben have gone off together to live happily without another thought or care about everything they had left in shambles back here. </i>
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                <i>Hux stops at one of the trees, his fist punching against the rough bark, immediately breaking the skin of his palm. </i>
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Why? Why does <i>he<i> get to have her? What has he done to earn her devotion? When Hux has risked everything for her, threw everything away just to save her from this horror. 

</i></i></p><p>
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                    <i>After taking a steadying breath, he looks up into the vacant woods in front of him, his nails scraping down the trunk of the tree, feeling small flecks of wood breaking underneath his fingernails. </i>
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                    <i>“I’ll find you,” he whispers to himself, his voice barely a whisper, though still seeming to echo through the trees. “You won’t be able to hide forever.”</i>
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                    <i>Rey and Ben have evaded what’s coming to them for long enough now. But Hux will look for them. He will search and search until he finds them. And once he does, he will make them pay for all they’ve taken from him. </i>
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                    <i>He will destroy them if it’s the last thing he does.</i>
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